Our proposal for the National Library of the Czech Republic consists of two distinct entities: the combined mass of library stacks and offices, and the volume containing the public spaces of the library. The 'waffle' serves as a means of storage and collection management; the transparent plinth accommodates consultation spaces and the visiting public. This organization allows us to show the collections as a public volume, and its incredible mass also acts as storage for environmental performance. The inertia of the mass stabilises the internal temperature cycle throughout the year, and the system works with no active heating or cooling.
The shape of the waffle allows natural light and air to reach all levels, especially the public floors at ground level. It is supported by ten structural cores within which all the vertical circulation of people, goods and documents within the library is organized.
The plinth containing the public areas of the library is a completely transparent glazed volume that enables a visual relationship with the surrounding landscape. The volume of the waffle is wrapped in a skin of scales, which are at times translucent, and at times reflective. The library's big mass can thus communicate in a versatile way with the surrounding landscape, urban context and environment.