The National Library of Israel, home to more than five million books and rare manuscripts like Franz Kafka's Hebrew vocabulary notebook, has just released new renderings of its future home designed by Swiss starchitects Herzog & de Meuron. The pair, who's working with Israeli firm Shinar Architects on the project, was awarded the commission last year after beating out other bigwigs like Frank Gehry and Renzo Plano.
As seen in the images below, the proposal involves a highly sculptural building that emphasizes one weeping curved roof with a gigantic oculus. The six-story, 366,000-square-foot structure blends library and research spaces with space for cultural and educational programming, and will include an additional four underground levels for storage and parking. The new library, which will sit near the Israeli Knesset building and the Israel Museum, will begin construction in 2016, with an anticipated completion date in 2019. Here's a closer look.
· Images Released of New Herzog & de Meuron-Designed National Library of Israel [Arch Daily]
· All Herzog & de Meuron posts [Curbed National]