On the list of Our Favorite Things in the World, only a few things come before splendid libraries, and so we were excited to hear today’s announcement of the 2009 American Institute of Architects (AIA)/American Library Association (ALA) Library Building Award winners. What are the Library Building Awards, you ask? Just “the finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the U.S.,” as chosen every two years by representatives from the AIA and ALA. So get out your list of libraries to visit and add these eight winners:
Arabian Library, Scottsdale Public Library (Scottsdale, Arizona). Designed by richard+bauer architecture, this 20,000-square-foot facility mixes reflective weathered steel with terra-cotta. Think Richard Serra meets Pancho Villa.C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California Berkeley. Tod Williams Billie Tsien has done it again, this time with a four-story symmetrical sanctuary floored in bamboo and clad in metal screens that block direct sunlight and minimize the need for AC.Chongqing Library (Chongqing, China). Ni hao, Perkins Eastman! Occupying a whopping 490,500 square feet, this library offers more than books. The complex includes a public theater, conference center, restaurant, and even hotel rooms for visiting scholars (and, we’re hoping, the odd design blogger).Biblioteca Central Estatal Wigberto Jiménez Moreno, Leon (Guanajuato, Mexico). With a name so nice you’ll say it twice, Pei Partnership Architects demonstrates its legendary prowess with glass and steel, adding locally sourced white cantera stone into the mix (pictured above, at right).continued…
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