Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has won a competition for the new National Library and Bank in Kazan in the Russian republic of Tatarstan.

Here are the details in a press release from the architect:

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Erick van Egeraat builds National Library and National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan. A new city centre for Kazan, the third Capital of Russia.

Rotterdam, 3 July 2007 – Erick van Egeraat has won the international competition for the National Library in the Republic of Tatarstan’s capital, Kazan. The new National Library has a gross floor area of 81.000 m2 and is situated at the Tukay square on the South-Eastern edge of the city centre.

Besides offering all traditional facilities of a state library, Erick van Egeraat wants to “invite citizens to explore and experience knowledge. The building provides a home to all modern ways of accessing information, but its flexible setup allows for future forms of working with knowledge, too."

Erick van Egeraat designed the building as a covered extension of the city centre. A multi-functional, 18 metre-high atrium serves as a portal between the library and the city. “The building becomes part of the public domain, a portal between the city and the library, a place where the collective and cultural qualities of downtown spaces are combined." The entrance space can be meeting point, boulevard, gallery, living room, garden and educational facility at the same time.

Embedded into a hill, the building continues the shape of the landscape and offers a park on top of the building. By linking the existing Hermitage Park, the new library park and the National Library to the adjacent Tukay square, Erick van Egeraat transforms the area into a vibrant hub of Kazan city life.

Consequently, Erick van Egeraat proposes to extend the proposed site and allow for the development of the Headquarters of the National Bank, for high-quality offices, luxury apartments and retail. The project is a cornerstone in the urban redevelopment of Kazan and sets an example for other urban regeneration schemes throughout the Russian Federation.