National Archives and Library

Project Architect:
Architext inc. in association with Chales Delamy Architects

Client:
Namibian Government

Following Namibia’s independence, the need arose to accommodate the National Archives and the National Library jointly in spacious and user-friendly surroundings, with proper climate control and security facilities. The design was selected following an architectural design competition in 1994.

The combination of the National Archives and National Library presented opportunities to combine similar aspects to mutual benefit and also combine opposites to create dynamic contrast. Archives are normally perceived as the enclosed repository of public records being protected for possible later retrieval and reference.

Libraries are more readily accessible places maintaining collections of books and other media for constant public reference. The area of storage and safekeeping are totally enclosed and expressed as a relative solid mass with austere aesthetic expression. In contrast to this, the publicity accessible areas are largely transparent and inviting.

The site represented equally contrasting conditions to which the new building had to respond, again with the opportunity to combine opposites and create dynamic contrasts.

The building is expressed as a cube-shaped box in two layers. The bottom layer, containing two levels of storage, is enclosed and addresses Robert Mugabe Avenue. It is recessed into the hillside for:

• Protection of vulnerable material

• Structural economy for heavy paper storage ( only 30% of storage area is accommodated on suspended structures)

• Creation of an elevated platform, accessible to the public from the higher levels around the site.  

The upper layer, containing three levels of administration and public areas, is arranged around a shielded landscaped courtyard on top of the elevated platform.

The courtyard is used for:

• Outdoor exhibitions
• Outdoor relaxation/reading area of staff and public
• Landscaped view court for staff and public from inside areas
• Outdoor theatre for cultural performances.

The external façades are expressed according to the contrasting realities to which they relate:

• The west façade relates to the harsh western sun, and the busy Robert Mugabe Avenue, as well as to some larger scale surrounding buildings. It is therefore expressed as a shielded and large-scale fashion.
• The east façade relates to the more moderate eastern sun, and a quiet street with domestic scale buildings. It is also the main public access façade, and is therefore more transparent and on smaller scale.
• The northern and southern façades are a combination of the above, and generally provide good views over the city from the upper levels.

Although the existing house is retaining as a typical example of a substantial residence from the German colonial period, it is clearly kept separate from the new complex, with no attempted visual linking. As such the house becomes a permanent archival exhibit within the extended landscaped area. The new building, in turn, acts as a backdrop to reinforce the main aspect of the house.

The decoration and reticulation of the façade elements is aimed to celebrating the changing light and shadow patterns, thus becoming the principal decorative expression.

The selection of materials and finishes was guided by consideration of simplicity and functionality, and should mature rather than deteriorate in the long term. Similarly, the energy and maintenance demands from service installations are limited by the use of passive control designs of various elements, without compromising safety and functionality