Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, inaugurated 16 October 2002
Marc Newson, Australian-born industrial designer, birthday 20 October 1963
Ordinary Portland Cement, Joseph Aspdin, patent 21 October 1824
The original Royal Library of Alexandria was one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World but was a victim of collateral damage as a
result of Julius Caesar setting fire to his own ships in the harbor in 48
B.C.E. Today, the only remaining Wonder
are the Great Pyramids of Giza which are also in Egypt. So, in commemoration and near the original
site, the Egyptian government along with the support of UNESCO and
contributions from the majority of surrounding Arab states, Snøhetta Arkitektur
Landskap AS, from Oslo, Norway won the design competition in 1988 for a new
library. Snøhetta has become renowned
around the world for major civic projects
including the September 11 Memorial
Museum Pavilion in New York City. Their
company philosophy strives to intricately incorporate landscape & public
art installations with building design in addition to adhering to
environmentally responsible design. This
new library can hold over 8 million books but its true purpose (as in
antiquity) is to act as a hub “for the production & dissemination of
knowledge, and to be a place of dialogue and understanding between cultures
& peoples.” The campus includes
multiple art galleries, conference center, planetarium & manuscript
restoration laboratory. Snøhetta’s
design incorporates a monumental granite wall covered with letters from all the
world’s alphabets and the entire building mimics an enormous sundial on the
shore of the Mediterranean Sea. 
The
light-filled reading room also harkens back to Wright’s Johnson Wax Building
interior. In light of what has become
known as “The Arab Spring” with so many citizens, including Egyptian, taking
control of their future, let us hope this spirit of learning, collaboration,
dialogue, understanding and tolerance will be forever rooted in its walls.
Marc Newson’s premier exhibition funded by a grant from the
Australian Crafts Council brought us the sumptuous Lockheed Lounge (1986) which
has set three consecutive auction records for final sale price. However, it wasn’t until he designed the
creepy Embryo Chair (1988) that he developed a signature style. As a native of Australia it seems only
natural Newson would become the creative director for Quantas and earn a place
on the faculty of his alma mater, the Sydney College of the Arts. In addition to his furniture pieces which
consistently sell out in record times, his work stretches into 
vast markets
from manufacturing & technologies to transportation & fashion which has
earned Newson a place on Time magazine’s list of the top 100 Most Influential People
in the World. Today, he operates out of
his London office continuing to offer clients retail successes with his designs. His work is collected and displayed in major museums around
the world. So compelling are is pieces that every time I come within a
few feet of the Lockheed it takes all the will power I can muster not to take a
seat. 
Despite the actions of one Roman in Alexandria, the empire was able to contribute tremendous innovations to the world, one of which was the concept of
cement. Unbelievably, this great
achievement was lost to antiquity until the 19th century when it was
rediscovered and Joseph Aspdin patented in Britain his version of “Roman
Cement”, what would be known as Ordinary Portland Cement (OCP). Made up primarily of limestone, it is the
basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco & grout. OCP, when combined with structural steel
reinforcing virtually illuminated the need for enormous blocks of stone to be
quarried, transported and lifted into place, drastically reducing building
costs & time of construction. Basic
building materials from ancient times of granite and marble were relegated to decorative
applications; luxuries that were no longer necessary but still prized. This led the way for man to build stronger,
safer & higher than ever before ushering in the expansion of the modern
metropolis that the industrial revolution spurred and challenged classic
principles of design that brought about the modern design era. 
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