Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosts rebuilding symposium from 11 October

Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosts the Rethinking Rebuilding symposium in Alexandria from 11 to 13 October 2026, bringing architecture, film and public discussion to the Conference Center. The programme examines rebuilding as a process involving memory, identity, trust and public life.

Rethinking Rebuilding begins at Bibliotheca Alexandrina on 11 October

The symposium opens on 11 October 2026 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center and continues through 13 October 2026. It is organised by the Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center, known as Alex Med, in collaboration with Snøhetta, the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Humane Urbanism.

The opening programme includes a keynote lecture by Kjetil Thorsen and Craig Dykers, the architects who founded Snøhetta and designed the library building. The event also includes public discussions, lectures and advanced workshops on architectural design methods. The general programme is open to the public, making the symposium relevant to visitors interested in the building as well as its subject.

The 11 to 13 October programme also lists artistic and cinematic presentations. The organisers are presenting the event as an interdisciplinary examination of rebuilding rather than as a discussion limited to construction work.

Snøhetta links the symposium to the library building

The connection between the venue and the programme is direct: the architects leading the opening lecture also designed Bibliotheca Alexandrina. That link gives the event a specific architectural setting, while its wider subject extends to the rebuilding of memory, identity, human relationships and public life.

One special presentation is Rebuilding Humanity, an artistic work combining art and architecture. The programme also includes a screening of Still Human and the opening of an outdoor exhibition titled Bibliotheca Alexandrina: From Vision to Landmark. The exhibition presents original sketches and drawings of the building and stages of its construction, according to the reported symposium programme.

The exhibition therefore adds a visual dimension to the lectures. Visitors can encounter the building not only as a venue for debate but also as the subject of drawings and design material displayed in connection with its architectural history.

What the Alexandria programme adds for visitors

The symposium places several forms of public activity in the same setting. Alongside the keynote lectures and discussions, the programme includes advanced masterclasses, artistic presentations and film screenings. The event is consequently broader than a single lecture, while the outdoor exhibition connects the scheduled programme with the physical building.

The subject also gives the venue a contemporary cultural role. Bibliotheca Alexandrina is used for architectural reflection, but the listed themes reach beyond design into questions of memory, identity, confidence, relationships and shared public space. Those themes are reflected in both the discussions and the exhibition material.

Visiting Bibliotheca Alexandrina: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Rethinking Rebuilding runs from 11 to 13 October 2026 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center in Alexandria.
• The general programme is open to the public, and includes talks, public discussions, workshops, film and art presentations.
• The venue is in Shatby on Port Said Street, Alexandria, with the Conference Center serving as the main event location.
• The outdoor exhibition presents sketches and drawings of the library building, while the wider programme includes the film Still Human and the art presentation Rebuilding Humanity.

Further details are listed in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina announcement.

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Frequently asked questions about Bibliotheca Alexandrina

When does Rethinking Rebuilding take place at Bibliotheca Alexandrina?

The symposium runs from 11 to 13 October 2026 at the Conference Center in Alexandria.

What is included in Rethinking Rebuilding?

The programme includes keynote lectures, public discussions, advanced workshops, films, artistic presentations and an outdoor exhibition.

Where is Bibliotheca Alexandrina and how do you get there?

Bibliotheca Alexandrina is in Shatby on Port Said Street in Alexandria, Egypt. The symposium venue is the library's Conference Center.