Astana National Library

Two interlocking circular and spiraling structures morph into a continuous circulation for the Astana National Library located in Astana, Kazakhstan. Spanning at 33,000 sqm, the building illustrates horizontal programs shifting into vertical configurations as a single, double-looping exterior skin that develops from a wall to a roof.

As one of the future foundations for Kazakhstan nation-building, designing the Astana National Library served more than a mere architectural challenge. Aside from accumulating national history, it should also visually anchor the future of its capital as well as the entire nation. Hence, the primary goal of the project is to reflect the country’s formation and development by transforming it into an intellectual, multi-natured, and cultural institution.

A symbiosis of nature and urbanity, the Astana National Library sits in the core of a recreated Kazakh landscape, just as how Astana sits in the heart of mainland Kazakhstan. Conceived as a multi-organizational entity combined into a single national institution, the Astana National Library integrates four organizational strategies into a circular and spiraling volume – the complex form of the Mobius envelope which includes the perfect circle of the national archives and a spiraling array of public spaces eventually concluded by a radially-distributed section of the local landscape. This inner garden includes a living library of foliage – of plants, trees, minerals, and rocks which allows visitors to explore Kazakhstan’s landscape and personally experience how the capital transitioned from Almaty to Astana. Surrounded by a circulating loop of books, film, magazine, and other archives, this 360-degree panoramic view is topped off with a heavenly light blue of an open celestial vault.

Both locals and visitors of Astana can go visit the Astana National Library to explore Kazakhstan’s history, diverse cultures, its new capital, and the country’s first president. The project plans to accommodate all forms of visitors – civil servants, museum historians, museum staff, politicians, researchers, and students.

The Astana National Library as a combination of horizontal connectivity and vertical hierarchy wrapped into an endless Mobius loop looks forward to becoming a national symbol of Kazakhstan. The circle as a symbol of clarity, the rotunda as a courtyard, and arch as the gateway, and the yurt with its contrasting, soft silhouette are combined to create a national monument of juxtaposing characters – local yet universal, modern yet timeless, and unique yet conventional, all at the same time.