John Ronan Architects designed the Poetry Foundation in Chicago Illinois, completed in 2011. Visitors enter at the corner of the lot. They pass through an oxidized zinc screen to transition to a long urban garden. They transition from this layer through a glazing facade into the main library’s functions, performance, gallery, and literature space. These various spaces look back into the central garden.
The wood interior of the bookshelves shines through the entrance corner, providing a cue of what to expect and what the building is all about: books. Circulation keeps a minimal presence, with glass railings and cantilevered paths. This project focuses on layers of space and transitions of experience.
(edwardhblake– flickr/creative commons license)
(marcteer– flickr/creative commons license)
(jblyberg– flickr/creative commons license)
(jblyberg– flickr/creative commons license)
(Payton Chung– flickr/creative commons license)
