National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan
XOPA (renovation); original 1987 project team · Kazan, Russia · 2020
The National Library of Tatarstan occupies a 1987 late-Soviet cultural building transformed by XOPA into a more open and flexible public institution. The renovation preserves the monumental stepped volumes while introducing contemporary reading areas, children’s spaces, media facilities and a more transparent relationship with the Kazanka riverfront. Material choices deliberately refer to both Soviet modernism and regional architectural traditions. Reopened in 2020, the project is a notable example of adaptive reuse treating late-Soviet public architecture as a resource rather than an obstacle.