Alexandria Bibliotheca
description: The Bibliotheca Alexandria is a multifunctional cultural and educational complex that is located in Alexandria, Egypt. The building spans 160 meters in diameter and is 32 meters tall, and it extends 12 meters underground. An open plaza and a pool surround the building, and a bridge connects it to the city adjacent to the University of Alexandria. The exterior wall of the building comprises nearly 6,000 square meters of hand-carved stone, engraved with letters, alphabets, and symbols from over 120 world languages. The unique shape and large size of the building make it look like an important symbol of Egypt. The exterior is inspired by the Hellenistic architecture style which is a style known for it's large, detailed complex structures. This style also depended on the point of view of the viewer and wanted to give a theatrical experince to a viewer to make it known that the building is significant. The Alexandria Bibliotheca follows this style by having with the long sequence of columns at the entrance of the building, including the courtyards outside the building and porch at the entrance of the building. The interior is designed with tall columns with a large glass ceiling that provides a natural light. The Alexandria Bibliotheca is a space used for lectures, museums, galleries,exhibition halls, auditoriums, and it's used for conferences as well. The vast amount of book sheleves and computers inside the building gives the idea that this is a building that is used for research and studying.
creator: Architects are the Snøhetta, a Norwegian architecture firm
source: Image 1: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/mediterranean-coast/alexandria/attractions/bibliotheca-alexandrina/a/poi-sig/1136427/355232 Image 2: https://www.nohoudh.org/knowledge-exchange-between-nohoudh-bibliotheca-alexandrina/ Image 3: https://english.news.cn/20220420/c5d06ef0eb3c4a998c7b637f58ffd99a/c.html Image 4: https://www.archdaily.com/592824/ad-classics-bibliotheca-alexandrina-snohetta
date: Begun: 1995 Completed: 2002
contributor: Stanley Ojibeka
format: The Alexandria Bibliotheca was built in a Contemporary Egyptian style
language: Alexandria Egypt
type: Public