National Library Extension Leipzig, Germany

In Leipzig, the German National Library's latest extension has opened after an almost four-year construction period. Founded in 1912, this is the library‘s fourth extension. It was designed by Gabriele Glöckler, winner of a European architecture competition, and planned and executed by the team Glöckler and ZSP Architekten architecture office.

The fourth extension not only adds a new autonomous architectural element to the Deutscher Platz but also provides a harmonious link between the main building and the Book Tower of the German National Library. The first two annexes stretched out behind the the façade of the German Library, built in 1916 by Oskar Pusch. In the 1970s, however, the GDR, set a cool, windowless complex consisting of five high towers slightly apart from the the historic building. The newly created extension closes this gap and links the neo-classical rectangular building, rendered less severe by Viennese art-nouveau nuances, with the book towers to form a whole entity. The new extension means the three very different building styles now interact with one another.

Architects:

Gabriele Glöckler
Freie Architektin BDA
Schloßstr. 83 • 70176 Stuttgart/Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 7 11 - 61 22 54
Fax: +49 (0) 7 11 - 61 79 09
eMail: info@gabrielegloeckler.de
web: www.gabrielegloeckler.de

Planing and Realization:

Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Gabriele Glöckler / ZSP Architekten
Seyfferstr. 34 • 70197 Stuttgart/Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)7 11 - 66 98 30
Fax: +49 (0)7 11 - 61 59 86 8
eMail: zsp@zsp-architekten.de
web: www.zsp-architekten.de

Picture credit: Gabriele Glöckler, Freie Architektin BDA|Stuttgart - Photographer: Maix Mayer, Leipzig Aerial View: Harald Ander