A LEGENDARY LIBRARY RESURRECTED

A great library in Alexandria, Egypt was destroyed 2000 years ago, yet it has never ceased being the stuff of legend. In 1989, the Arab Republic of Egypt and UNESCO called for a new Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta has created one of the largest libraries in the world. The project, completed in the autumn of 2001, stands as a symbol for international cultural awareness. Its appearance is dominated by a huge sloping glass roof and a massive stone wall engraved with words of many languages. Next week Beirut architect and journalist Victor A. Khoueiry will describe the new building and what it symbolizes.

SEASIDE TURNS 20

Seaside, the little Florida coast town that spawned New Urbanism, is 20 years old this year. Designed by architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk as a resort with a sense of community, Seaside became one of the most influential design paradigms of its era, garnering a clutch of awards, and appearing in most national publications. According to Newsweek magazine, "Seaside — with its cozy, narrow streets and its jumble of pastel-colored homes — is probably the most influential resort community since Versailles." ArchitectureWeek's assistant editor Katharine Logan will explain that influence and its limits.

PARAMETRIC EXPRESSION IN SERVICE TO DESIGN

The international terminal at Waterloo, London, by the architecture firm Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, is a railway station that demanded a complex structure to accommodate a complex site. One of its most impressive features is the massive curved train shed that gradually expands towards the station end. The complexity and variation in the size and shape of the structural elements were possible because of the application of computer-aided design techniques, the essential feature of which was the ability to represent parametric relationships. Next week, author Peter Szalapaj will explain how parametric design was key to the creation of this exceptional building.