The National Library in Sudan has been looking for a new home to expand its services and reach a wider public. Its new site on the prestigious Nile Street in Khartoum, overlooking The Nile River was a great location but fraught with numerous complications. The site was divided by a small street running through its center, and subject to strict laws regarding set-backs and a condition of preserving all vegetation on site older than 50 years; this compromised almost 50% of onsite vegetation. Known for their respect for environmental guidelines and their reputation for delivering sensitive design solutions, Hayder A. Ali Architects were invited to design the National Library.

The Architect set about studying the site, cataloging all vegetation and environmental factors, and familiarizing himself with the many challenges of the site. Hayder A. Ali Architects designed two separate building masses accommodating the program for the National Library. These blocks were split straight through a corridor of vegetation. This corridor accommodated all historic onsite vegetation and was utilized as an attractive shaded area with a seating environment for outdoor reading and casual meeting. The two building blocks were connected by an aerial glass bridge that offered beautiful views of the site, the vegetation and the Nile.

Hayder A. Ali Architects opted to use local environmentally friendly clay bricks to encase the buildings. Creating a “second skin” that optimized the stack effect as a passive cooling method for the building. This provided cool interiors without compromising the aesthetics of the buildings.