Architecture
hg Merz Architekten, Berlin/Germany
Planning time
2000 − 2006
Construction time
2005 − 2012
Services by Werner Sobek
Structural engineering (WP 1 − 6 acc. to § 64 HOAI)
Facade engineering (WP 1 − 5 acc. to UBF)
GFA
107,000 m²
Client
Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung, Berlin/Germany
Photography
Hans-Joachim Krumnow, Berlin/Germany
The new central reading room of the State Library in Berlin is a glass cube with a multi-layer facade. For logistic reasons the loadbearing structure consists of prefabricated concrete elements that are joined together by specially developed mounting units. The outer facade consists of a double-layer glass facade that is linked to the structure by binder-like steel fins. The interior facade is a translucent textile membrane.
