Places To Read

The world’s top architects are reinventing the library. From Rem Koolhaas’ futuristic Seattle masterpiece to Norman Foster’s Berlin dome, view our gallery of the hippest homes for books.

Clive Tompsett / Muungano

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-3_w7wtt1 — Swedish design group Muungano created this library bus, which features both digital media and printed materials, for the town of Kiruna in Sweden.
Clive Tompsett / Muungano

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-4_yb2jpx — The interior of the Book Bus contains a library, small cinema, a music listening couch, and Internet station—all of which named the colorful touring media hub Library Bus of the Year by the Swedish librarian society.
Clive Tompsett / Muungano

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-7_dfogxc — This unique, domed library designed by Norman Foster + Partners nicknamed The Berlin Brain, lends a bit of modernism to the heart of the Free University campus established after World War II to stimulate liberal education.
Courtesy of Foster + Partners

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-6_njmozq — Desks circling the billowing perimeter gave the library its nickname, and translucent fibers filter sunlight to create a serene, work-conducive atmosphere for its inhabitants, the Faculty of Philology.
Rudi Meisel / Foster + Partners

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-12_wssyzi — The steel-and-glass façade of Seattle’s particularly contemporary Central Library, which opened in 2004, faces one of the most bustling areas of the city.
Courtesy of The Seattle Public Library

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-10_ce2mgs — Designed by Dutch architect RemKoolhaas,the building contains a unique entrance to each of its 11 floors.
Courtesy of The Seattle Public Library

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-11_lfcqis — This modern haven, hailed for its environmentally sustainable design, contains a 1,000,000-volume collection and made its mark on the Arizona skyline in 1995.
Courtesy of Will Bruder + Partners

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-9_y9mvhd — Nonfiction fans have their choice of seats on the fifth floor—home to the largest reading room in North America.
Courtesy of Will Bruder + Partners

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-8_pgvauf — This south London library was built by Alsop architects with the “conviction that the public domain is enriched by strong form and vivid color,” and to rebuild the surrounding public square and enrich the community.
Courtesy of Alsop Architects

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-14_r216j3 — An eight-year fundraiser and its subsequent donations transformed this former bank building into a destination spot at the Rhode Island School of Design, complete with a lounge area, for students and the researching public.
John Horner / RISD

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-5_m5grkd — Architects Merkx + Girod took advantage of an old Dominican church’s striking height and structure by constructing a walk-in bookcase, from the top of which readers can eye the historic murals near the ceiling.

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-13_xxkrgm — Zaha Hadid Architects is designing this futuristic library for the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, and it will soon employ multiple uses as a book shop, language laboratory, and offices for students and administration.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-1_nbt0dk — The reading areas of the Amsterdam Public Library—the largest public library in Europe—are carefully situated near windows to ensure enough sunlight enters, and with free wireless Internet access, it’s likely open seats are few and far between.
Olaf Kraak, AFP / Getty Images

galleries/2009/01/30/places-to-read/libraries-2_fgcvzx — The “green roof” of this sustainable library building in Ballard, WA is home to over 18,000 low-water-use plants, and an indoor periscope allows curious onlookers to view the foliage and surrounding mountains.

TRENDING NOW