The Trafic parquet collection: a new language for spaces
Designers Marc and Paola Sadler draw on now-extinct urban scenarios to create an original and versatile product for Listone Giordano.
Inside, there are two museums, a conference centre, exhibition areas and the biggest reading room in the world – 20 000 square metres with 3000 places. The building has been designed by Snøetta, a group from Oslo made up of Norwegian, American and Austrian architects who were winners of the competition set by UNESCO together with the Egyptian government and the International Union of Architects.
To coincide with the opening, a travelling exhibition opens in Rome which covers the highlights of the project begun in 1989 when 524 architects from 52 countries entered the competition. On show at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale are drawings, designs and images which illustrate the past, present and future of what has been defined as one of the most beautiful buildings of the new millennium.
Related contents:
Alexandria’s library reborn, (from Domus 846/March 2002)
http://www.bibalex.gov.eg
http://www.snoarc.no
Timeless icons: the Marenco sofa by arflex
Designed by Mario Marenco, this masterpiece of Italian design has set the standard for over fifty years.