New Forms Taschen 115

Dominique Perrault Bibliothoque nationale dc Franca Paris, Franca. 1988-96

With its four towors in thc shapc of open volumes situated around a large sunken garden, the Bibliothequc nationale de Franca was subject to a great deal of controversy, some of which was politically motivated. and some of which had to do with the probability that high glass towers wcrc not the best form for the conservation of precious books. Modified to respond to criticism, the project has recently bcen morę favorably viewed in France.

Libraries and Schools

As culturally oriented buildings, libraries and schools have also been high on the list of the types of buildings that talented contemporary architects are asked to design. Af ter the art museum, the library may be one of the most potent symbols of cultural achievement and intellectual prowess. Although London has long been working on the new British Library, the most spectacular and largest library project anywhere in the world is most probably the last of the Crands Travaux of Franęois Mitterrand. The so-called Bibliotheque nationale de France is located in the 13th arrondisse-ment of Paris in a zonę formerly occupied essentially by the raił lines leading to the Austerlitz train station. With its 450 km of bookshelves and 4,000 seats in the lecture rooms this 360,000 m² building stands out if only because of its size. The concept of four 100 m high towers placed like 'open books' around a central sunken garden was vigorously attacked by a number of eminent specialists, not only because of the obvious difficulty in retrieving books placed in towers, but also because of the danger to the volumes exposed to light and heat in structures that were originally intended to be highly transparent. The project was modified to

Places or Gathecinc 123