The next few publications within the framework of the virtual project “The National Library of Belarus in the Modern Press” will be devoted to the chronicle of the construction of a new building, advanced technologies of Belarusian architects and designers, and the unique experience gained during the construction of the new building of the country's main library.
In 2002, the preparation of the construction site began, in connection with which a decision was made to demolish 12 residential buildings located in 4th Slepiansky Lane. After all, it is at this place, not far from the Vostok metro station, at the corner of Independence Avenue and Filimonov St., it was planned to build a new library building.
The project has been declared a nationwide construction project and a special current account has been opened for voluntary donations in Belarusbank.
In August, architects, designers and a group of employees of the National Library of Belarus headed by its director Galina Oleinik went on a business trip to four European countries to get acquainted with the best libraries in Europe. And despite the fact that the draft design of the building of our library was made in 1989, by the beginning of the 21st century it was not only not outdated, but also in terms of its volumetric-spatial composition turned out to be progressive and modern.
Library staff, designers and architects M. Vinogradov (second from left) and V. Kramarenko (second from right) during a business trip. Photo from the personal archive of G. Oleinik
The specialists learned a lot from this trip. Special attention was paid to the equipment for air conditioning, the microclimate maintenance system, which is especially important for the preservation of the funds. And in the design of interiors, the architects were inspired by the newfangled trend - phytocompositions, which will certainly be present in the new building of the National Library of Belarus.
Well, for the fastest fulfillment of readers' requests in the new library, it was decided to install a "miracle of technological and engineering thought" - a tele-lift. With its help, readers will receive the necessary literature in the shortest possible time. The order is carried out through a computer, the prepared literature is loaded by the librarian into a container with an autonomous electric motor, which moves along the monorail, both horizontally and vertically, in any direction specified by the computer.
This is what a tele-lift track with a container looks like. Photo by S. Bazyleva-Lanko
The construction of a new building for the National Library of Belarus was discussed on September 11 at a working meeting with the participation of architects, designers, heads of relevant ministries and departments.
According to calculations, the construction of the library may require about $ 150 million, and the exterior of the building will resemble a diamond. Speaking mathematically, the project of the new complex is a 62-meter rhombocuboectahedron resting on a three-four-storey circular stylobate. At first, the octahedral "diamond", which weighs about 140 thousand tons, will only be half-filled with books. It will take at least 35 years to fill the funds of the new library completely.
The TV marathon “Let's build a library together”, which took place on October 3 at ONT, was also dedicated to the implementation of the project. Its goal is to collect voluntary donations for the construction of a new building for the National Library of Belarus. By 20.00 - the final issue of "Nashi Novosti", in which the reporters covered in detail the results of the telethon, about 1.5 billion Belarusian rubles and about 30 thousand dollars was transferred to the charitable account. Nobody expected such activity!
On October 21, 2002, Gennady Novitsky, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus visited the future construction site of the new library building. According to the plan, the site for the excavation has already been vacated and by November 1 everything will be ready for the builders to start working.
During the ceremony marking the start of construction of the NLB
On November 1, a solemn ceremony was held to mark the start of the construction of the National Library of Belarus. The symbolic first stone in the foundation of the future building of the spiritual treasury of the Belarusian people was laid by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko. The event was also attended by employees of the National Library, students of the Minsk University of Culture - future librarians, architects, designers, builders.
The territory of the construction site is fenced, access roads are being laid. A pit was dug for the foundation of the high-rise part of the building. The pit volume is 60,000 m3, its depth is 15 meters, and the lower monolithic foundation slab has a volume of 3,600 m3. Reinforcement and formwork works have begun, which are the most laborious in the construction of the foundation.
At the entrance to the construction site, a billboard "Construction of the National Library of Belarus" appeared with information about the construction time, organizations and managers involved in construction work: head of construction - Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarenko, chief project engineer - Lyudmila Mitrofanovna Shokhina, Timofey Pezold, Scientific Director of the project and construction, Vladimir Potershchuk, Chief Designer of the project, and others.
A pit was dug for the foundation of the high-rise part of the building. Photo by L. Shokhina
More detailed information on the topic can be found in the database "The National Library of Belarus in the Press". In addition, by filling out the mailing list for the above resource, you will receive all the news about our library.
Information and Analytic Activity Department
