Horizontal white and vertical black bodies form a “horizontal centre and vertical focus”. A circular enclosure, broad steps and a connecting platform unite them within one civic complex.

The white body opens to the community: seen from the forecourt, the library’s reading hall to the left, the archives’ public hall to the right, and a central skylit hall at ground level for small art exhibitions and history and humanities seminars. Steps seat audiences for informal performances in the square. Pools and walkways link these spaces; their composition expresses respect for knowledge and a sense of ceremony. The black body houses the internal operations of the library and archives.