Liz Stinson
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Biblio Tech: 10 of the World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

Want to read more? Build more magnificent libraries.

A good library is more than a repository for books—it’s a community resource. Many function not just as temples to the written word, but as concert halls, public gardens, and community centers. All libraries are works are art in themselves, but these ten are particularly striking.

  • Photo: ADAM MØRK
    01

    Dokk1 Library (designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen)

    The award-winning Dokk1 Library is made from a stack of polygons, giving it a hard, geometric facade—a pleasant contrast to its bright, airy interior.
  • Photo: MIKE SINCLAIR
    02

    Lawrence Public Library (Gould Evans)

    The old Lawrence Public Library was built in 1972, but architects recently gutted the original building and renovated it to be more modern and tech-forward. Particularly notable is the use of natural lighting.
  • Photo: SHAO FENG ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
    03

    Yangzhou Zhangshuge (X+Living)

    Stepping into this bookstore in Zhen Yuan, China is like walking through a river filled with books. Hard and paperback tomes line the curved, backlit shelves, which reflect onto the dark mirrored floor, creating a trippy tunnel effect.
  • Photo: SHAO FENG ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
    04

    Yangzhou Zhangshuge (X+Living)

    Stepping into this bookstore in Zhen Yuan, China is like walking through a river filled with books. Hard and paperback tomes line the curved, backlit shelves, which reflect onto the dark mirrored floor, creating a trippy tunnel effect.
  • Photo: EMILE ASHLEY
    05

    Vennesla Library (Helen & Hard Architects)

    This Norwegian library looks like a portal to outer space. A series of 27 arching ribs hugs the ceiling, each featuring an integrated light that lends the cream interior an ethereal glow; the base of each beam flows into a reading nook.
  • Photo: DAVID GRANDORGE
    06

    Bodø Library (DRDH)

    The new Bodø Public Library in Norway is also a cultural center, featuring a three-auditorium concert hall in addition to its 68,000-square feet of dedicated reading space. The white concrete building sits on the plot of a former bus station.
  • Photo: HEDRICH BLESSING PHOTOGRAPHERS
    07

    Chicago Public Library (SOM)

    Chicago’s new Chinatown branch has no sharp edges. The three-sided, pebble-shaped building was designed around feng shui principles and designed to align with the avenues outside the building.
  • Photo: MECANOO
    08

    Birmingham Library (Mecanoo)

    From the outside, this English library looks like a brutalist structure wrapped in metal lace. But the building’s vast interior is filled with bright primary colors and clean lines, and is home to more than 400,000 books.
  • Photo: ADAM MØRK
    09

    Halifax Library (Schmidt Hammer Lassen)

    Halifax’s flagship library is made up of four imposingly piled glass boxes arranged to create a stunning building block effect. On top is a rooftop garden for enjoying warm Nova Scotia summers.
  • Photo: CAROGA
    10

    Conarte Library (Anagrama)

    The cozy reading nook inside this Monterrey library features seafoam blue walls that shine through a latticed wood bookshelf. Stairs cut through the middle of the dome, which has the appearance of a brightly colored cocoon.
Liz writes about where design, technology, and science intersect. ... Read More
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