Uncovering the Shape of Content: Comparison of Three Libraries

Georges Bataille and many others have made note of the colossal cultural mirror that is architecture. Whether through a particular sensibility for spatial definition, a material or constructive capability bound to an age, or a reflection of current ideas and events rooted in the panoply of moods, ideas, technologies and rituals of an era, architecture embodies the cultural realities of the age in which it became manifest. Often, the spatial organization of a building, and the process which yielded this particular spatial order, provide a tremendous amount of insight into the cultural content and ideas of a bygone era. This being the case, tracing the evolution of a singular program type allows for a comparison of content issues that have transformed the type, thus providing insights into an evolving cultural sensibility. In this paper evolving cultural and organizational sensibilities are explored with respect to three libraries: Boullee’s Bibliotheque du Roi, Labrouste’s Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, and OMA’s Seattle Public Library. An examination of these libraries provides insights into modes of spatial organization that have evolved from indebtedness to a cosmological order, wherein the book is held up as a spiritual and cultural symbol, to a spatial order that views books as information and space as a mechanism to be used for their rapid retrieval.

Volume Editors
Ikhlas Sabouni & Jorge Vanegas