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 MØRK01
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 SINCLAIR02
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 PHOTOGRAPHY03
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 PHOTOGRAPHY04
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 ASHLEY05
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 GRANDORGE06
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 PHOTOGRAPHERS07
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: MECANOO08
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 MØRK09
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: CAROGA10
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
TopicsAMP Stories
Seeing the Beautiful Intelligence of Microbes
Bacterial biofilms and slime molds are more than crude patches of goo. Detailed time-lapse microscopy reveals how they sense and explore their surroundings, communicate with their neighbors and adaptively reshape themselves.
John Rennie and Lucy Reading-Ikkanda
Intriguing Photos of America's Perfect Square Miles
An anonymous photographer combs Google Maps for eye-popping aerial shots of the US.
Laura Mallonee
Inside the Lab Where Amazon's Alexa Takes Over The World
For Amazon's voice services strategy, the word "everywhere" has taken on a whole new meaning.
David Pierce
What Happens When Algorithms Design a Concert Hall? The Stunning Elbphilharmonie
Herzog and De Meuron's new philharmonic in Hamburg, Germany, is an impressive feat of technology.
Liz Stinson
Stunning 3-D Models Help Unravel the Mysteries of Coral
A new photographic technique from researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is exposing coral like never before.
Matt Simon
A New Species of Tiny Octopus Was Discovered in the Galápagos Islands
An octopus about the size of a golf ball was first spotted in 2015 near Darwin Island. A new study gives it both a formal description and a name.
Marta Musso
California’s Wildfire Season Is Already Overactive
Major fires are threatening homes and ecologically sensitive areas following a hot, dry winter.
Brian Kahn
Is the Ferrari Luce’s Design Really That Bad? 3 Italian Auto Experts Weigh In
The first electric Ferrari is already this year’s most divisive car. We asked three Italian auto industry professionals to explain where the EV’s design makes sense, and where it doesn’t add up.
Lucia Tedesco
The Best Apple 3-in-1 Wireless Chargers for Your Next Trip
Keep your trio of Apple gadgets powered up wherever you go with these compact folding chargers.
Simon Hill
The Best Portable Chargers and Power Banks for All Your Devices
Keep your phone, laptop, handheld gaming console, and other electronics running with these travel-friendly power banks.
Simon Hill
The 11 Best Packing Cubes for Every Kind of Trip
Whether you’re a no-frills backpacker or a bag-checking fashionista, there’s a perfect packing cube out there for you.
Kat Merck
The Best Yoga Mats for Sun Salutations Through Savasana
Searching for the best yoga mat to help deepen your flow, master tree pose, and discover the meaning of life? For two of the three, we’ve got you covered.
Emily Peck