aster.cloud aster.cloud
  • /
  • Platforms
    • Public Cloud
    • On-Premise
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Architecture
    • Design
    • Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Engineering
    • Automation
    • Software Engineering
    • Project Management
    • DevOps
  • Programming
    • Learning
  • Tools
  • About
  • /
  • Platforms
    • Public Cloud
    • On-Premise
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Architecture
    • Design
    • Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Engineering
    • Automation
    • Software Engineering
    • Project Management
    • DevOps
  • Programming
    • Learning
  • Tools
  • About
aster.cloud aster.cloud
  • /
  • Platforms
    • Public Cloud
    • On-Premise
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Architecture
    • Design
    • Solutions
    • Enterprise
  • Engineering
    • Automation
    • Software Engineering
    • Project Management
    • DevOps
  • Programming
    • Learning
  • Tools
  • About
Library
  • Featured

Settle Into 10 Of The Most Beautiful Libraries On Earth

  • aster.cloud
  • September 4, 2023
  • 4 minute read

Designers, it seems, have figured out one way to get people to read more: Make libraries more beautiful.

PEOPLE LOVE THEIR libraries. And when their governments put money toward them, they even love to visit them. A 2012 report by the Institute of Museum and Library Services found that when investment in libraries drops, as it has in the US since 2009, usage typically falls with it. But the inverse was also true; the more public funds libraries receive, the more people tend to use them.


Partner with aster.cloud
for your next big idea.
Let us know here.



From our partners:

CITI.IO :: Business. Institutions. Society. Global Political Economy.
CYBERPOGO.COM :: For the Arts, Sciences, and Technology.
DADAHACKS.COM :: Parenting For The Rest Of Us.
ZEDISTA.COM :: Entertainment. Sports. Culture. Escape.
TAKUMAKU.COM :: For The Hearth And Home.
ASTER.CLOUD :: From The Cloud And Beyond.
LIWAIWAI.COM :: Intelligence, Inside and Outside.
GLOBALCLOUDPLATFORMS.COM :: For The World's Computing Needs.
FIREGULAMAN.COM :: For The Fire In The Belly Of The Coder.
ASTERCASTER.COM :: Supra Astra. Beyond The Stars.
BARTDAY.COM :: Prosperity For Everyone.

Perhaps that’s because a good library is more than a repository for books—it’s a community resource. It may also explain the recent spate of high-design libraries (and bookstores) popping up around the globe. Many of them function not just as singular temples to the written word, but community centers, auditoria, concert halls, and public gardens. All of them are works of art in themselves. Here are ten of note.

Dokk1 Library, Schmidt Hammer Lassen

ADAM MØRK

The Dokk1 library recently won the prize for best public library of 2016, and it’s easy to see why. The 323,000 square-foot library, the largest in Scandinavia, is situated next to the river in Aarhus, Denmark. The building is made from a stack of polygons, giving it a hard, geometric facade. While inside, the space is airy, with windows that overlook the city’s harbor. An unexpected, artistic bonus: The bell that hangs above the central staircase is connected to the local hospital—it rings every time a child is born.

Lawrence Public Library, by Gould Evans

MIKE SINCLAIR

Lawrence’s new library has the bones of its old. Originally built in 1972, architects at Gould Evans recently gutted the library and renovated it to be more modern and tech-forward. While observing visitors, the architects realized people naturally gathered in the locations with the most natural lighting. This led to them to create reading room with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Read More  French Chic. An intro to Parisian Fashion.

Yangzhou Zhongshuge, by X+Living

SHAO FENG ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Walking into the Yangzhou Zhangshuge bookstore in Zhen Yuan, China is like walking through a river filled with books. The architects say that’s intentional; the building is supposed to evoke the feeling of water, a nod to its riverside location. Hard and paperback tomes line the curved, backlit shelves, which reflect onto the dark mirrored floor, creating a tunnel effect. It’s just the right amount of trippy.

Beyazit Library, by Tabanlioglu Architects

TABANLIOGLU ARCHITECTS

The Beyazit State Library in Istanbul isn’t a new building. In fact, it was originally built in 1506, and served as a soup kitchen and inn before it became the state library in the late 19th century. Turkish architecture studio Tabanlioglu Architects recently renovated the space, preserving its bones while adding minimalist modern touches, like tinted glass boxes that hold rare manuscripts. It’s a stunning mix of old and new.

Vennesla Library, by Helen & Hard Architects

EMILE ASHLEY

Norway’s Vennesla library looks like a portal to outer space. A series of 27 arching ribs hugs the ceiling, creating a skeleton for the building. Each rib has an integrated light that lends the cream interior and ethereal glow, while the base of the beam flows into a reading nook. Each rib contains sound absorbing materials to ensure the space is extra quiet.

Bodø Library, by DRDH

DAVID GRANDORGE

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, and a row of floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the city’s harbor.

Read More  Expanding Our Infrastructure With Cloud Regions Around The World

Chicago Public Library, by SOM

HEDRICH BLESSING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chicago’s new Chinatown library branch has no sharp edges. The pebble-shaped building is wrapped in glass and marked by solar-shading fins that are meant to reduce heat and glare. The library’s curvy, three-sided shape is built around feng shui principles and designed to align with the avenues outside the building. Inside, the two-story structure is centered around a light-filled atrium.

Birmingham Library, by Mecanoo

MECANOO

From the outside, the Birmingham library in England looks like a brutalist structure wrapped in metal lace. But the building’s vast interior—it’s 312,000 square feet—is filled with bright primary colors and clean lines. The building is home to more than 400,000 books housed on multiple floors, each of which features a cantilevered balcony overlooking a “book rotunda.”

Halifax Library, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

ADAM MØRK

Halifax’s flagship library (there are 13 others) is 156,000-square feet of imposingly piled glass. Situated in the city’s downtown, the building’s four glass boxes stack, twist, and cantilever to create a stunning building block effect.__ On top of the building is a rooftop garden for enjoying warm Nova Scotia summers. __Inside, the library’s reading room converts to a concert hall.

Conarte Library, by Anagrama

CAROGA

Mexican design studio Anagrama designed a cozy reading nook inside this Monterrey bookstore to encourage visitors to linger and read. The sea foam blue walls shine through a latticed wood bookshelf that turns the space into a brightly colored cocoon. Stairs cut through the middle of the dome, while padded seats on either side afford comfortable reading spots. It’s visually striking, and clever, use of space.

Read More  Introducing Orion, Meta's First True Augmented Reality Glasses

By: LIZ STINSON
Originally published at Wired


For enquiries, product placements, sponsorships, and collaborations, connect with us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Our humans need coffee too! Your support is highly appreciated, thank you!

aster.cloud

Related Topics
  • Beyazit Library
  • Birmingham Library
  • Bodø Library. Chicago Public Library
  • China
  • Denmark
  • Dokk1 Library
  • England
  • Halifax Library
  • Lawrence Public Library
  • Library
  • Norway
  • Turkey
  • United States
  • Vennesla Library
  • Yangzhou Zhongshuge
You May Also Like
notta-ai-header
View Post
  • Featured
  • Tools

Notta vs Fireflies: Which AI Transcription Tool Deserves Your Attention in 2025?

  • May 16, 2025
college-of-cardinals-2025
View Post
  • Featured

The Definitive Who’s Who of the 2025 Papal Conclave

  • May 7, 2025
conclave-poster-black-smoke
View Post
  • Featured

The World Is Revalidating Itself

  • May 6, 2025
View Post
  • Featured
  • People

Conclave: How A New Pope Is Chosen

  • April 25, 2025
Getting things done makes her feel amazing
View Post
  • Computing
  • Data
  • Featured
  • Learning
  • Tech
  • Technology

Nurturing Minds in the Digital Revolution

  • April 25, 2025
View Post
  • Featured

Tariffs, Trump, and Other Things That Start With T – They’re Not The Problem, It’s How We Use Them

  • March 25, 2025
zedreviews-ces-2025-social-meta
View Post
  • Featured
  • Gears
  • Tech
  • Technology

What Not to Miss at CES 2025

  • January 6, 2025
deanmarc-apple-intelligence-oped-20241203
View Post
  • Featured
  • Insights
  • Technology

Apple Intelligence – Innovation Enabling Mediocrity?

  • December 3, 2024

Stay Connected!
LATEST
  • 1
    Just make it scale: An Aurora DSQL story
    • May 29, 2025
  • 2
    Reliance on US tech providers is making IT leaders skittish
    • May 28, 2025
  • Examine the 4 types of edge computing, with examples
    • May 28, 2025
  • AI and private cloud: 2 lessons from Dell Tech World 2025
    • May 28, 2025
  • 5
    TD Synnex named as UK distributor for Cohesity
    • May 28, 2025
  • Weigh these 6 enterprise advantages of storage as a service
    • May 28, 2025
  • 7
    Broadcom’s ‘harsh’ VMware contracts are costing customers up to 1,500% more
    • May 28, 2025
  • 8
    Pulsant targets partner diversity with new IaaS solution
    • May 23, 2025
  • 9
    Growing AI workloads are causing hybrid cloud headaches
    • May 23, 2025
  • Gemma 3n 10
    Announcing Gemma 3n preview: powerful, efficient, mobile-first AI
    • May 22, 2025
about
Hello World!

We are aster.cloud. We’re created by programmers for programmers.

Our site aims to provide guides, programming tips, reviews, and interesting materials for tech people and those who want to learn in general.

We would like to hear from you.

If you have any feedback, enquiries, or sponsorship request, kindly reach out to us at:

[email protected]
Most Popular
  • Understand how Windows Server 2025 PAYG licensing works
    • May 20, 2025
  • By the numbers: How upskilling fills the IT skills gap
    • May 21, 2025
  • 3
    Cloud adoption isn’t all it’s cut out to be as enterprises report growing dissatisfaction
    • May 15, 2025
  • 4
    Hybrid cloud is complicated – Red Hat’s new AI assistant wants to solve that
    • May 20, 2025
  • 5
    Google is getting serious on cloud sovereignty
    • May 22, 2025
  • /
  • Technology
  • Tools
  • About
  • Contact Us

Input your search keywords and press Enter.