Page 158 - The Architecture of Nadler-Nadler-Bixon-Gil

View of the main entrance and aerial of academic libraries planned during the second half of
view from the north-west, 1960 the 20th century.
‫מבט אל הכניסה הראשית ומראה מן האוויר‬
1960 ,‫מכיוון צפון־מערב‬ The library stands at the edge of the university’s
central square, the main focal point of the campus,
Sections, 1955 around which its various buildings converge. The
1955 ,‫חתכים‬ structure is divided into two main units – the establishing
section, consisting of three storage floors, that is partially
submerged in the ground – and a double-story top
section set above a transparent pilotis level, which holds
the entrance hall and the loans counter.

The structure’s 20,000 m² plan is oblong and
based on an 8.4 m module present in the network of
supporting pillars that are seen from almost every corner
of the space, and in the 135 cupolas leading natural
light into the reading halls. Two internal courtyards
also allow the entrance of natural light while providing
readers with on-site rest areas. The main façade is
designed in straight lines that repeat the basic shapes
and clean layout of the internal spaces. The hewn stone
cladding on the facades appears also in the inner halls,
emphasizing the building’s horizontality – as does the
ribbon window running along the main façade and the
protruding roof rising above it.

In 2010 a decision was made to establish a new
house for the library’s collection, outside of the campus
and near the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament Building.

155 The Jewish National and University Library, the Hebrew University, Givat Ram