KSP JÜRGEN ENGEL ARCHITEKTEN GmbH
Hanauer Landstraße 287 – 289
D – 60314 Frankfurt am Main
Tél. +49(0)69. 94 43 94 – 0
Fax +49(0)69. 94 43 94 – 38
info@ksp-architekten.de
www.ksp-architekten.de
Office
“The architect’s aim is to find a clear shape for complex inter-link-ages. Our understanding of architecture is rooted in the present but shows great respect for the architectural heritage. For every building task, irrespective of the size, we prefer to adopt a new approach for each building assignment depending on the location, context, and purpose and to provide a specific response to every architectural question.”
JÜRGEN ENGEL, PRINCIPAL OF KSP JÜRGEN ENGEL ARCHITEKTEN
With over 200 employees and offices in Berlin, Brunswick, Frankfurt, Munich, Hanoi and Beijing, KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten is one of the biggest architectural firms in Germany. It made its international breakthrough with the winning design in the competition
surrounding the construction of the new National Library of China, which was soon followed by other commissions in the Cathay region.
The KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten portfolio ranges from solitary buildings for art and culture, to office and business premises, right through to hospitals, housing estates and extensive urban developments. Besides classic design and planning services, the firm has its own specialised and experienced departments that also provide general planning and building management services, and is
thus able to completely handle a project.
Project
National Library of China, Beijing, China
The new construction of the National Library of China in Beijing emanated from the winning design by KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten as part of a competition. As a structure of national importance, it was expected to stand out from the everyday architecture in the Chinese capital.The self-assured, expansive gesture of the building, which – unlike most new builds – does not reach into the sky but stretches out horizontally, is supported by a contemporary yet classically structured form of architecture: base, main hall, roof. Whilst the base area of Asia‘s largest library, with a total of five floors, houses the literary collection comprising around 12 million books, the glazed hall with a foyer, cafeteria and entrance to the reading room with 2000 seats is an area dedicated to the present and is spanned by a spectacular roof that projects far out at the sides. This earthquake-proof construction made of a ten-meter high steel framework and with a span of around 60 meters is defined as a separate area and provides space for the digital collection over two levels.
CLIENT: National Library of China
COMPETITION: 2003, 1st prize
COMPLETED: 09 / 2008
GFA: 80,000 m2
READING PLACES: 2,000
BOOKS: 12 meters
LPH: 1-3, 5, artistic supervision and
interior design