Seattle Central Library's dazzling design is one for the books
Published: Apr 13, 2009
Colossal in size and futuristic in feel, the Rem Koolhaas-designed flagship branch of Seattle's public library system is as dazzling to the eyes as it is enriching for the mind. Viewed from the street, the Seattle Central Library's zig-zag architecture — intended to evoke a crooked stack of books — may seem somewhat whimsical, but inside, this educational center and gathering place is all business.
Once you've gotten over the cavernous nature of the interior (it almost seems bigger inside than out), the genius of the design becomes evident. All of SCL's books and materials — more than a million in number — are arranged in intuitive, easy-to-browse fashion.
Its four floors of nonfiction books are contained in a gently-sloping "Books Spiral" that allows you to walk from one end of the collection to the other without having to double back. The "Mixing Chamber" is staffed with full-time research librarians who can help you find the answers to questions large and small; they communicate with "Star Trek"-like wireless communicators, so they can walk you directly to the books you need.
Once you've found your books, you can take them up to the 10th-floor Reading Room, which is furnished with comfortable couches and is floded with natural light from its 40-foot-high glass ceiling. On clear days, you get a gorgeous view of Puget Sound, and even on overcast days the view of downtown Seattle is without peer.
But you needn't have a great love of architecture, books or even heights to enjoy a visit to Seattle Central Library. The Library's third floor, its "Living Room," is a sprawling, yet inviting gathering place where you can enjoy a latte from the Chocolati coffee cart, shop for unusual books, pens and paper items in the FriendShop, and be a part of a bustling big city that's looking to the future — when it doesn't have its nose buried in a book.
- by Geoff Carter, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro
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