Koolhaas' Awesome Seattle Central Library

Judge not a book by its cover, nor a building by its exterior.

When we were kids, my Dad would to take us to the library every Saturday morning so that we could pick out books to read for the week to come. That was the way we earned our allowance. I think we got about 5 cents for every page we read. He would give us suggestions on books we might be interested in reading, but he never really dictated what we should read. I went through my Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys stage, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories, World War II, dinosaurs, biographies, even Barbara Taylor Bradford, different books at different times. I always enjoyed those Saturday mornings at the library. It not only nurtured our love of books and a curiosity to find out more about our world, both past and present, but it also gave us a sense that no matter what the problem or question was, we would always be able to find an answer at the library (these days, google is a great substitute).

Since graduating from B-school, I haven't really used a library (except for a brief visit to Erik Gunnar Asplund's beautiful Stockholm Library last August). I do love libraries though. When well-designed, they're a real sanctuary (in fact, I am writing this entry from the Vancouver Public Library, because I'm having problems getting high-speed internet service installed in the apartment). They're places from which one can learn, reflect, work, but also to relax, socialize and bond, as we did with our parents. They're wonderful, multi-purpose public buildings that bring the community together. At their best, libraries provoke, inspire and enlighten.

I first came across Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Central Library when researching for Little Cream Book: Architecture. Unfortunately, it got dropped from the list, because we wanted to include more Asian architects, so the S entry went to Toyo Ito's Sendai Mediatheque, just as worthy an entry as the Seattle Library. So when I found myself in Seattle for 24 hours, I just had to visit. It was truly an awesome experience. While the traditional libraries of universities are dimly-lit, sombre halls of learned endeavours (Dont' get me wrong, I actually have a soft spot for such libraries, the ones with the green, banker's desk lamps, long wooden desks and a fierce librarian that glares at you from over her bifocals the moment you make a noise. The old Art & Archaeology library at Bryn Mawr was like a crypt, but I loved it). Koolhaas' library, on the other hand, is a joyous occasion. The moment you walk in, you feel like the world's doors are opening up in front of your eyes. There's an incredible sense of freedom.; your eyes are drawn skyward, your soul feels lifted. There's a feeling of excitment, a buzz. And its all because he dares to inject a bit of bold, playful colours into the whole scheme of things (the 4th floor housing meeting rooms is entirely fire engine red).


This is a view of the 3rd floor entrance to the Living Room area, which houses a gift shop, cafe, teen area etc., from the 5th floor Mixing Chamber, where there are more than hundreds of computers for library users.


The 5th floor Mixing Chamber.There's a layer of mesh on the windows to reduce the glare of the sun. And notice that the frames are painted in sky blue.



The Spiral is an amazing concept for housing the stacks. The floors circle upwards, with a flourescent yellow escalator running through its core, leading up to the Reading Room.





Approaching enlightenment...


...otherwise known as the Reading Room.


And if the books don't inspire you, there's always the art...



Between the sky blue frames, the real plants and the carpet silkscreened with fake plants, it really does feel like the perfect lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon in the park with your favourite book or a copy of the Sunday New York Times.