Estudio Hago

NUK II Library . Ljubljana

Ljubljana is a city of contrasts where the huge plain of the area occupied by the buildings contrasts with the height of the surrounding mountains. This situation leads us to propose a building where its peculiar volume makes it recognizable from all perspectives of the city.

The density of the historical urban centre contrast with the new city which is opened onto a meadow. Monumental buildings arise in the skyline with their towers, stoney volumes and newer construction styles.
The possibility of having views of the city from higher levels, such from the medieval castle, creates this wonderful urban discourse where rooftops transform the typography of the monumental buildings, such the new national library, into a metaphorical horizontal façade.
Nuk II has been conceived as a new city icon, a cultural and typological reference, such as the counterpart library designed by Jože Plečnik in Emonska Street.

Architectural design
Our proposal is driven by the functional requirements of the building program as well as the incorporation of historical and urban analysis of the site.
The project resolves some large and tranquil lecture spaces where the connection between visitors and natural light becomes the principal focus. A “reading podium” that floats above the entrance gallery connects to a long “mezzanine” that houses a research area which guarantees an effective and inspiration relationship between its users and the consulting materials.
This combination of floors and mezzanines also help to divide the program into its specific contents, so that regular users can obtain their information in an effective way.
Within the building perimeter there is a space between two supporting walls that accommodates restricted storage rooms and several study zones while connecting this space its exterior environment. This functional space acts as solar and temperature filter protecting the inner main volume.
The main area is a part of a set of three volumes, which include an administration wing, that follows the long facade of the Zoisova Street and a functional wing, with a shop, cloakroom and lavatories, which follows the length of Emonska Street.

NUK II Library
Architects: Antonio Álvarez-Cienfuegos Rubio & Emilio Delgado Martos
Collaborator: Andrés Toledo Domínguez
2012, Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
Competition entry