February is Library Lover's Month?

Seattle Public Library, Seattle
OMA + LMN

Biblioteca José Vasconcelos, Mexico City
Taller de Arquitectura X

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janiero
Rafael de Silva e Castro

Beineke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Heaven, Connecticut
SOM

A friend of mine sent me a link. I'm studying architecture, she is studying library sciences. If we'd work together, we'd make babies like these. It's disappointing that out of these photos, the one photo I don't like is the library in Mexico city. It looks like one of those libraries we designed in our second year studio class: it looks great in a model, not so much once built and it's probably a librarian's nightmare. To me the collaboration between OMA + LMN in Seattle is perfection. Having studied this library a few years ago, I feel this project captures what society needs today. A library is not only a storage for books. It should interact with the community and promote education. The Bineke library to me is one of the best buildings ever designed by SOM. It's elegant, sober and simply beautiful. Yale is one lucky school. As for the 19th century library in Rio, well, if I'd have a castle, I'd want a library just like that. It's like the real version of the library Belle gets in Beauty and the Beast. Anyone who reads would dream of such library.

Speaking of reading, I need to do that more. I rarely give myself the time to do so. I just picked up a new book and hope to finish it by the end of the month. Review to come soon. Time calls it the "novel of the decade." We shall see.