Pieces of the facade have fallen from the technical library building

Prague - Two glass panes have come loose from the facade of the National Technical Library, which is located in Prague's Dejvice district. Experts are investigating why the panels have become detached. The inspection of the facade may take several months, but according to the library's spokesman, Pavel Hortig, it will not affect the library's operations.

The fall of the thirty-five-kilogram panels made of tempered, specially treated glass did not injure anyone. The pane has the properties of safety glass, which shatters into tiny pieces when damaged. Therefore, the panel does not fall all at once.

The National Technical Library opened to visitors in September 2009. The building has a capacity of one and a half million books and is the largest library of technical literature in the Czech Republic. In 2010, the building won the Grand Prix Architects award and also received the Club for Old Prague Award for the best new building in a historic environment.

The library, featuring a simple rounded shape and a glass facade, was created according to the design by the studio Projektil almost quietly alongside the then-excited debates about the new National Library building designed by Jan Kaplický, which ultimately was not realized. It is one of the few new constructions in the capital that is liked by both users and architecture experts. Non-typical technical solutions were used in its construction; for instance, there is neither heating nor air conditioning in most rooms.