SOM designed the China town branch of the Chicago library, completed in 2015. The oval shaped building uses a glass curtain wall with intermittent fins for sunlight shading. These fins remain uniform the whole way around the building, something I would expect from the 1970’s, really. The interior ceiling panels fan out radially toward the glazing, accentuating this oval shape.
A triangular white atrium in the center unifies this rotative movement. A curved stairway leads from the children’s area and community conference area downstairs to book shelves and computer areas on the second floor, as well as a video game area for teenagers. These areas are all free and open, with high-contrast white and dark surfaces that give a nice clean look. This balance of space speaks to the future of public libraries.
(Smart Chicago Collaborative– flickr/creative commons license)
(Smart Chicago Collaborative– flickr/creative commons license)
(Smart Chicago Collaborative– flickr/creative commons license)
(Smart Chicago Collaborative– flickr/creative commons license)
