University Unveils New Library
The CEO of Morningstar donated a huge chunk of change. The new library will house some 3.5 million volumes of "print material".
Looks interesting to me. The drawing beautifies the old library, which brings me to my one regret about this design: it doesn't do enough to hide Regenstein.
I do wish they'd try to hide more of the western side of the Reg, as it's big and ugly. I like the other sides, though; they look more like natural rock formations, or tumbling-down blocks.
I really hope the new library is going to be linked by more than just a little hallway to the existing building, though. And they had better not require you to swipe in with cards to move from one to the other; that would be ridiculous.
Missing from the renderings is the entrance to the new building from the street. I'm really curious how that's going to be handled, and where it will be.
Posted by:Eric | Monday, 12 May 2008 at 15:34
Looks remarkably similar to one of Dr. Scholl's corn pads. Or a Lee Press-On Nail. I can't decide.
Posted by:Otto | Wednesday, 14 May 2008 at 01:27
I love the Reg. It's so brutalist.
Perhaps you have to have suffered for thousands of hours inside of it's walls to truly appreciate its design.
The same, however, can't be said about Max P, which has no redeeming quality. None.
Posted by:Jar Jar Binks | Wednesday, 14 May 2008 at 03:28
Actually the Mrs. (& Architect) got it in one. Its a fairly uninspired rip of Pei (& frankly without the excellent integration that the Louvre has.)
As a librarian by training though I'm glad they're going to house the collection on site, although the shelf browse will be lost. (However shelf browsing is replicated by most online library catalogs.)
I must admit that I'll also miss the tennis courts there.
Posted by:ScottM | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 21:19
So will this be as ugly as Max P?
I see the University is out to exterminate any and all open space. Open space -- bad! Random architecture -- good!
Posted by:DS | Monday, 19 May 2008 at 10:11