The library of the future is an information hub connected as much to the individual user in the city as it is to the rest of the world. Instead of creating an individual icon, LAVA's design established relationships between Astana the city, Kazakhstan the country, and the rest of the world.
Information has traditionally been stored in the form of books, but the internet and digital devices have multiplied the possibilities infinitely.
The proposed building form reflected both the traditional approach and future tendencies, and it also suggested the reading of the city as a modern 21st century polycentric network of relationships. The outer perimeter was based on the square form in plan, which is representative of tradition, stability and order. The cutouts into the rigid square form opened the interior of the building to the outside, providing a sense of openness and invitation.
