The new Snøhetta-designed Charles Library at Temple University has opened its doors in Philadelphia for the start of the fall 2019 semester. Located at the intersection of two principal pedestrian streets, the project acts as a new social and academic site for the university’s students. Developed in collaboration with Stantec, the design reinterprets the traditional…

After successfully completing its multi-use community center in Shanghai, Wutopia Lab finalises its construction of the Zhongshu Bookstore in Szhou, China. The bookstore is divided into four main areas and several subdivided zones: the ‘Sanctuary of crystal’ for new arrivals, the ‘Cave of fireflies’ for recommendations, the ‘Xanadu of rainbows’ for reading room, and the…

At Instinct Furniture we love sharing and applauding cool things we come across in libraries and learning. Even though this article was written 10 years ago (a big thanks to our unknown author), the principles remain the same for today’s modern library. JAN 1, 2009 (From Project for Public Spaces) To succeed today, libraries must…

The vast LocHal library and events space, designed by Amsterdam-based studio Civic Architects, occupies a former glass and steel locomotive shed in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Located in Tilburg’s station district, the LocHal library is named after the locomotive shed in which it is housed. The building’s imposing footprint measures 90 x 60 metres with a height…

American studios MSR Design and JRA Architect have completed a public library in Louisville featuring a sculptural, medal-clad exterior that is partly concealed by tall, leafy trees. The South Central Regional Library is part of the Louisville Free Public Library system – the largest public library system in Kentucky. The project was designed by MSR…

Atelier Jean Nouvel’s recently completed Stelios Ioannou Learning Resource Center, at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia, has been revealed in photographs by Yiorgis Yerolymbos. Named after Cypriot industrialist Stelios Ioannou, the library in the capital of Cyprus has been designed to look like an artificial hill. “It has been considered as an ‘earth-work’, a gentle…

X+Living was tasked with bringing Zhongshuge’s vision to life, ‘to create the most beautiful reading experience space for readers, where they harvest not only wisdom from books, but also the perception and sedimentation of life.’  In turn, the firm created an experiential space that moves guests and readers through landscapes that look as they came…

Ladybird-like wings open to reveal a micro movable library for children in China. In response to the ‘commercial sprawl’ of shared bicycles that are used and left all over our cities, LUO studio has recycled these abandoned bikes and created a micro movable library for children. Named ‘shared lady beetle’, the small, ingenious solution is…

The purpose of Studio Tylevich’s project is to preserve the memory of the previous library on this site before an expanded new library is built in its place. The old library, with its iconic oversized metal ‘library’ installation outside, held many memories for its patrons and passersby. The project team’s recently installed project celebrates the…

Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has converted buildings in a former industrial district into a public library in Chicago, where original brick walls and bow trusses are on full display. The West Loop Branch library is named after its location in the city’s West Loop neighbourhood – a former industrial area that is now…