The National Library Project Is Underway - NIS 375 Million Will Be Invested in Constructing the Building
Electra won the prestigious tender to build the complex building of the library - the company will start execution next month and is expected to complete the project within 3 years. The center will include 5 underground floors and 7 floors above ground with a total area of 45 thousand square meters
Oren Freund and Shir Reiter 25.06.18 13:29
The new National Library project is underway - construction of the building will begin according to plans next month, after Electra won the prestigious tender for its construction (through its subsidiary Electra Construction). The State of Israel will pay Electra NIS 375 million for the construction, which is supposed to be completed within three years.
The National Library in Jerusalem is the national body on behalf of the State of Israel, which is entrusted with preserving the printed resources of the State of Israel and the culture of the Jewish people. The library has over 5 million items of print and an archive.
The new library building will be located in the National Campus in Jerusalem, on a plot located at the intersection of Kaplan and Rupin Streets, opposite the Knesset building and adjacent to the Israel Museum. The building will consist of five underground floors and seven floors above ground with a total area of about 45,000 square meters.
The new library will combine a center for both research and study, as well as for cultural and educational activities. The library will include a visitor center, secure and air-conditioned spaces for storing the library's treasures, as well as offices, laboratories, a coffee shop and an auditorium. The Architect Herzog & de Meuron was chosen to design the project, alongside the Israeli architectural firm Mann Shinar Architects. The firm of Poran Shrem Engineering and Appraisal has been appointed as project manager.
The library was founded in 1892 by B'nai B'rith Organization and was managed for many years by the Hebrew University. Following the enactment of the National Library Law in Israel in 2008, the library was defined as a national library and it changed its status to a public benefit company. At first it was a subsidiary of the Hebrew University and since 2011 it has been jointly owned by the State of Israel and the Hebrew University.