 |
| "Thinking inside the box" Central Library of Nice, France |
Architecture is usually analyzed and taught as a discipline that articulates space and geometry, but the mental impact of architecture arises significantly from its image. this Article examines The world's most famous Striking Libraries Embodied in Illustrated ; the nature of the image and imagination ; History of Origin and Significance of Design.
Now Let's begin in this tour From the old to the latest :
Note: Click on each images for more details .
- The Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Oxford University
This was originally a science library but now houses English, history, and theology books on Oxford University reading lists, plus a lot of room for reading them.
- Library of Parliament
This library is the research hub for Canada’s Parliament and houses over 600,000 historical texts and other items. A picture of it appears on the back of the Canadian 10-dollar bill.
- The Rampur Raza Library
Nawab Faizullah Khan began collecting items for the library in 1774, and later nawabs (governors) continued to do so. It’s now one of the largest collections of Indo-Islamic cultural materials in the world, including 17,000 manuscripts, 60,000 printed books, calligraphy specimens, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments, and rare coins. The building was originally part of a palace, but is now run by the Indian government.
- Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, The New York Public Library
This is perhaps the most famous library in the world, right in the heart of New York City. It’s an excellent example of Beaux-Arts architecture. The design was based on a quick sketch by the first library director, Dr. John Shaw Billings. Inside there are more than 15 million books and other items, and the beautiful Rose Main Reading Room. The lions in front are not officially named but are commonly called Patience (at the south side of the stairs) and Fortitude (at the north).
- Central Library, National Autonomous University of Mexico
The giant mosaic murals were created by architect and artist Juan O’Gorman and tell the full history of Mexico. To create the mosaic, O’Gorman worked with a geologist to collect stones in 150 different natural colors from all around Mexico.
- Ceinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Opened in 1963
Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Opened in 1963
The building has no windows, in order to keep direct sunlight from harming the rare books, but the very thin marble walls let low light in during the day. At night the building glows from the interior lighting within. The collection inside includes a Gutenberg Bible from 1454 (one of only 48 known copies) and the mysterious medieval Voynich manuscript, which is filled with indecipherable text, strange diagrams, and illustrations of bizarre plants.
- Geisel Library, University of California San Diego
This Brutalist building was originally called the Central Library, but renamed in 1995 after Audrey and Theodore Geisel. Theodore Geisel is better known as Dr. Seuss. The library’s collection includes 8,500 drawings, manuscripts, photos, and other Dr. Seuss memorabilia.
- Atlanta Fulton Public Library
This library was modernist architect Marcel Breuer’s last work and is similar to his Whitney Museum building (now the Met Breuer) in New York. This is the main branch of the public library system in Atlanta, where I grew up. I spent many hours here researching for high school term papers.
- Det Kongelige Bibliotek (The Royal Library)
The exterior is made of polished black granite, and because of that and its angular shape, everyone calls it den Sorte Diamant (the Black Diamond). It sits right on the waterfront. This is the view from the water.
Thanks for reading followed in Part II
Tags
General Articles