Superlative façades. GIG places the new “wonder of the world” in an ideal light.

There are certain projects that can permanently alter preconceived ideas concerning the sciences, arts and culture, and there are façades that help these projects to achieve world fame. Wherever engineering and architecture combine to generate stunning new ideas, GIG is entrusted with production and realization. The results are solutions that communicate competence, sensitivity and a degree of empathy that serve to create new benchmarks. One spectacular example of this is the Alexandria Library, which is already being described as an “architectural wonder” of the modern age.

All the knowledge under the sun. – Expertise that puts everything else into the shade.
From a temple to a database. Views of a building for the millennium.

Where in 48 BC flames engulfed the old Alexandria Library, there now stands its modern successor. A spectacular urban accent is set by the unique circular shape through its deliberate contrast with the surroundings. With a diameter of 160 metres, the roof is tilted towards the sea at an angle of 15°. The lowest point of the roof is 8 metres below sea level in the north and rises to a height of 32 metres on the south side. The entire execution of the roof, light courts, and façades was carried out by GIG.

Extreme site conditions.

The demands made on GIG were as unparalleled as the project itself. Numerous special developments were required, such as insulated sandwich panels, hot bonded with aluminium honeycomb structures. As a consequence of the required ease of access, intensive sunlight and heavy rainfall, the roof and façade components were designed to deal with extreme loads and weather conditions.

Exquisite façade engineering from GIG.

Apart from the complexities of project implementation in Egypt, there were also architectural and technical challenges to resolve. 1.8 metre wide lightweight panels subject to considerable loading had to be designed to resist distortion. This demand was satisfied by means of high pressure bonding of anodized aluminium sheets with aluminium honeycombs. Other challenges included the high UV and noise reduction requirements in combination with large pane sizes, as well as the partial use of cast glass. One peak achievement was the creation of the sloped and curved transom and mullion façades with 14 metre long cantilevered, milled aluminium sections.

Eight million volumes safely under cover.

Natural light enters every corner of the reading room through 56 skylights of the roof modules developed and manufactured by GIG. In the foreseeable future, the reading room will provide access to eight million books. The reading room, structured by the roof modules, covers 18,000 m² and has 2,000 seats, making it the largest in the world. It consists of seven terraces, which, with their subdivision into 14 semi-levels, create the impression of an amphitheater.

A textbook project.

As groundbreaking as the significance of the new Library of Alexandria is for global science and research, so is the contribution GIG has made to the realization of this unique project.