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Photo: Robinson/Beateworks/Corbis
Dutch architect Rem Koohass has described the steel, glass, and aluminum library as “large but not monumental.” Aluminum mesh sandwiched between glass panels reduces heat and glare on the interior, and the glass grid provides seismic stability. The view from the soaring atrium changes with each movement of the sun and clouds. The building garnered a 2005 national AIA Honor Award for Architecture.
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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 6, 2007 1:24 PM.
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Comments (6)
Nice to see a couple (Seattle Public Libray and Safeco Field) of Seattle buildings made the list. I'm surprised the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project (EMP) didn't make the cut.
Posted by chrisj | February 9, 2007 10:08 AM
Posted on February 9, 2007 10:08
my brother help put the glass in
Posted by bailey | February 9, 2007 4:51 PM
Posted on February 9, 2007 16:51
Made James Howard Kunstler's Eyesore of the Month in 2004. Well deserved too.
Posted by Anonymous | February 10, 2007 8:45 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:45
Interesting--the photo hides its interface with the ground. I had to ask how to get in and how to get out.
Posted by Anonymous | February 11, 2007 11:20 AM
Posted on February 11, 2007 11:20
Ewww, the EMP? Most Seattlites consider it an amusing eyesore they're glad they didn't have to pay for, unlike the old-school and very attractive Safeco Field. Seattle has a couple "significant" office towers (2 Union and B of A) and a couple that are downright pretty (Original WAMU and US Bank Centre). Space Needle is also a potential vote, since there are a lot of special use structures in here and it's well known. Smith Tower, as the tallest building west of the Mississippi for about four decades, should be better known as well.
Posted by Bob M | March 14, 2007 1:28 PM
Posted on March 14, 2007 13:28
The most amazing building I have ever been in (except maybe Fallingwater). The door comment (above) is a good one. It seems as if you'd need some sort of interdimensional portal to get inside.
When I first saw the building while it was under construction, I jumped all around the backseat of a cab in anticipation of what might be. Two years later on a return trip to Seattle I spent a (regretably) short time inside, and there was no feeling but excitement.
Only thing that's awkward about it is that the library is so mystically futuristic that its bookshelves look anachronistic.
On other Seattle architecture: Space Needle could have been on the list. Sure it's a bit hokey in it's Jetson style, but next to the Empire State Building and the D.C. Mall, no building so immediately identifies a city like the Needle.
Smith Tower is fun, and last time I was in it (2000) it still had an elevator operator. That's a nice touch.
EMP: I was in this building when it was still under construction, a couple weeks before it opened, and I have to admit that I was bit disappointed. It seemed as if it was hard to get around and had a lot of wasted space. I think Gehry's the greatest architect around for exteriors, but on interiors he needs a bit of work.
Also, I'm a fan of Key Tower.
Posted by Craig Johnson | March 15, 2007 6:02 PM
Posted on March 15, 2007 18:02