The Modem Day Athenaeum: The revitalization of the National Library of Pakistan

Abstract

The National library of Pakistan, situated behind the parliament building sits in the capital of the country at the very heart of the government, open to public, embodying a vision of democracy itself by its presence at the very location that it stands, a transparency between the people and the state. A proximity between the citizens and the leaders elected by them alas owing to the rapid progression of technology and the increasing isolative trends in its wake along with an irresponsive attitude towards the problem by the stakeholders, the National library has been more than humbled. The core reason behind the decline of the library culture once analyzed can be divided into various categories that range from the digitization of knowledge to shortening of attention spans as a people, the lack of awareness that people have also contributes majorly to the problem. People in general do not understand and or appreciate the merits of visiting and utilizing the services of a library. On the other end of the spectrum it can be argued that libraries, typologically have not evolved with time to meet the needs and requirements of the people, essentially approaching redundancy. The library is a house of knowledge, a place of learning and exploration, and yet it seems as though the people have taken for granted what it means to acquire knowledge. As such in context provision of meditative spaces that cater to the spiritual growth of person, focusing on people to people interaction as well as people to architecture relationship the Athenaeum will nurture its users towards an appreciation of knowledge overall. Thus, the building would not only bridge the people to the existing library physically but also act as a bridge itself, metaphorically, conditioning them along the process. Establishing a symbiotic relationship between both the buildings as they promote the innate quest for knowledge that humans have. The Athenaeum in the vicinity of the library would act a lure as well as a core, without restricting itself to the confines of the physical building, it will also incorporate the lands around it, developing an intricate experience that along the journey rejuvenates the people, the culture and the city in the process. the national library of Pakistan desires to be revisited architecturally, not in terms of the existing structure but rather a separate entity that exists so as to form a symbiotic relationship with the library, allowing a bridging between the people and the NLP. Something that takes from the same base as does the library and provides a wider enveloping sphere of knowledge wisdom and learning than the house of books that is the NLP. The Athenaeum from its origins in Greece and formalization as a typology in Rome, is perhaps one of the more interesting examples of this phenomena. Today, typologies such as the, Library, the school, the theater, the museum and even the cultural centers along with several others can find their roots in the ancient Athenaeum. However, tracing down the path adopted by this road of evolution one has to understand that the original connotations entailed by the Athenaeum have been rendered in accordance with the aspects of today's society. The evolution of the typology has taken from it, or in the very least altered its essence, but does that imply that the athenaeum in its various renditions is incapable of functioning today? "Architecture should speak of its time and place but yearn for timelessness" - Frank Gehry Understandably the original version of the athenaeum might not be applicable in today's world but the very thought beckons one to imagine what it would be like if it were to adhere to the needs and requirements of today. Thus, the Athenaeum as a structure, in contemporary scenarios is aimed at providing an interactive, inclusive and invigorating environment to promote book reading, learning and the acquisition of new skills. A focus for the athenaeum will remain on the physical/ visible aspects knowledge going as far as providing, theaters, arts and crafts workshops, etc. Keeping in mind the times, a dedicated digital section of the building carefully incorporated with nature and the likes will aim at the provision of the needs of the users of today where kernels would be provided for dedicated research and or exploration of the cyberspace. The Athenaeum will also focus on the personal development of individuals outside from books and such, with the