| Work Detail |
Construction work on Sharjah Investment and Development Authority’s (Shurooq) House of Wisdom — touted as the library of the future — is 60% complete and is scheduled to open in April 2020.
Designed by UK-based architecture and design firm, Foster + Partners, the facility has a built-up area of 12,000m2 and features unique design elements and contemporary Arabic architecture.
Located on the Sharjah International Airport Road, 10km from the city centre, the two-storey building features a 15-metre-wide floating roof cantilevering on all sides of the façades. Aluminium screens have also been used for the construction of the structure, according to information published on Foster + Partners website.
Once completed the library will be home to more than 105,000 books.
Speaking about the project, chairman of Shurooq, HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, said that the House of Wisdom has been designed “to stimulate a new way of reading and knowledge exploration – with increased focus on collaborative learning spaces”.
He added that the building will also comprise, discussion halls, reading lounges, exhibition spaces, children’s educational area, suspended pod spaces above the central courtyard for quiet reading, a café and a restaurant, and landscaped gardens.
Head of Advisory Committee of Sharjah World Book Capital (SWBC) and vice president of International Publishers Association (IPA), Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, said: “The House of Wisdom project is a new cultural milestone, and has strengthened Sharjah’s position as a melting pot of world cultures in the region.”
Located close to the under construction House of Wisdom is The Scroll, a single spiralling sculpture that circles towards the sky and was commissioned to UK-based artist Gerry Judah. |
