Beyazit State Library

Conveying the knowledge and the building into 21st century and beyond. Beyazit State Library is the oldest state library in Turkey, being founded in 1884. Located in the most important public space in the historical peninsula, the environs are strongly associated with books and The exemplary updating and fine-tuning of the State Library involved the sensitive re-organisation of the interior and careful restoration of the building fabric with its prominent multi-domed roof. In place of the former concrete roof, a light and transparent inflatable membrane structure which covers the courtyard, filtering the daylight and providing a controlled atmosphere. In the renovated shell of the building, the black glass boxes devoted to the manuscripts stand as a monolithic object of awe that are of a stark contrast to their surroundings.