ARC308 · Scavenger Hunt

This is the Scavenger Hunt assignment for Nathan Brown's ARC308 class. This assignment was completed on 12 Sep 2024. Let me tell you about the awesome building that is the Seattle Public Library!

Basic Facts

The Seattle Public Library (which I'll often abbreviate as SPL) is located in the heart of downtown Seattle at 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104.¹ Rem Koolhaas, a Dutch architect, and LMN Architects, a Seattle-based architectural firm, designed the building. After approximately 2-3 years of construction, the Seattle Public Library was opened to the public on May 23, 2004.²

The purpose of the Seattle Public Library (and one could argue all libraries) is to give the general public a safe space to learn, read, and connect with others. Now let's look at some cool pictures!

Architectural Drawings

I enjoy the first architectural drawing here (the one with the side view). It's a cool representation of the "book spiral" on the middle floors of the SPL.

Photographs

I used Google Earth to get a sense of the atmosphere around the Seattle Public Library. The SPL, with its glimmering diamond-shaping windows and short stature, immediately stands out from the rest of the "boring" rectangular office buildings.

The general structure present in the SPL (sharp geometric "cuts") gives the library a nice, uniquely modern style. The exterior was constructed with steel and thousands of panes of glass.⁵

While the exterior is certainly eye-catching, the interior is an outstanding place to read & study. Light, one of the 12 elements of form in architecture, is incorporated beautifully here by architect Rem Koolhaas. Many libraries have a few small windows that let in a little light. The Seattle Public Library has many windows that allow readers to feel greater connection to nature & the outside world.

I also drew a picture of the SPL. I am by no means an artist (as you can see), but I tried to capture the distinct angularity of the library.

Here's a cool Flickr cache I assembled. I really like the distinction between the SPL during the day vs. night: in the daytime, the light streams in, which creates a nice reading experience, and in the nighttime, the light streams outward and is inviting and warm.

More Information

I found some interesting articles about the Seattle Public Library. Here are my summaries of two of them below:

1. Thirty-six participants walked around key areas of the SPL with a researcher present. Afterward, they received a set of questionnaires asking them to select adjectives relevant to their experience. Participants most frequently chose positive adjectives like impressive, creative, and stimulating, but also chose negative adjectives like confusing, complex, inconsistent and overwhelming.⁸
2. Seattle natives were interested in a new library back in the 2000s: they passed a bond to fund the library with a high 72% majority. There was public input in the design of the SPL, especially in construction of the innovative "book spiral" that loops through the middle floors of the library. Ultimately, however, the architects made most of the final decisions and constructed a library that some members of the Seattle public were not completely happy with.⁹

I also found an intriguing video about the SPL where it shows its construction in 3D, floor-by-floor. The helpful video helped me visualize more clearly how the "book spiral" works, even though I've never actually been in the library.¹⁰

One recent article about the SPL criticized thousands of hours of library closures. I agree with the author's main point: the Seattle government should not cut funding from the SPL because of a deepening budget crisis. Public libraries are an essential place to learn, read, apply for jobs, etc., and as such, they should not be deprioritized in a city budget.¹¹

We can also examine the architect himself to gain deeper insight into the building he constructed. One article reveals that (1) Rem Koolhaas has a seemingly endless repertoire of sometimes controversial buildings; (2) Koolhaas' birth during the Allied bombardment influenced his architectural values, specifically his value to build architecture that represents “the excessive compulsion toward the spectacular”; (3) Koolhaas seeks to revitalize cities to work effectively for all kinds of people.¹²

I also found an interview with Koolhaas, where he talks about his work on the SPL. He remarks that most recent libraries attempt to mimic traditionally "important" civic buildings. But he believes that libraries, like other buildings, have changed. They've transformed into more than just a place to read: they are social centers and places of learning. This shift, Koolhaas believes, allowed him and his fellow architects to construct a new, modernized library without it looking "weird".¹³

Citations

¹ "Central Library · Hours and Locations." The Seattle Public Library. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/central-library.

² "Central Library · Highlights." The Seattle Public Library. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/central-library/central-library-highlights.

³ "Seattle Central Library Curtain Wall Design." LMN Architects. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://lmnarchitects.com/lmn-research/seattle-central-library-curtain-wall-design.

⁴ Author's screenshot from Google Earth. Accessed September 12, 2024. https://earth.google.com

⁵ "Seattle's Iconic Central Library Celebrates 20 Years." Seattle Public Library. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://www.spl.org/about-us/news-releases/seattles-iconic-central-library-celebrates-20-years.

⁶ "Photography · Seattle Public Library." Larry Speck. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://larryspeck.com/photography/seattle-central-library.

⁷ "Seattle Public Library to Restore Most Branches to Pre-Pandemic Hours." The Seattle Times. December 2, 2021. https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/seattle-public-library-to-restore-most-branches-to-pre-pandemic-hours.

⁸ "AESTHETIC AND EMOTIONAL APPRAISAL OF THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ITS RELATION TO SPATIAL CONFIGURATION." Northumbria University, October 3, 2013. https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/17167/1/kuliga_dalton_holscher.pdf.

⁹ "Just How Public Is the Seattle Public Library?" Wiley, October 3, 2013. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1162/104648803322336548?casa_token=dXEgFIzkuYoAAAAA:FpJ4LkJ709My3ds8Yhc56of8lv1J8zNJX7c_reN2RXPHOevoTgM85CbOK6MggKVgLJZu2ASF6LbP.

¹⁰ "Seattle Library Video Analysis." YouTube. February 17, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdATErdNOgs.

¹¹ "The Seattle Public Library Announces 1,500 Hours of Closures in the Next Eight Weeks." The Stranger. April 11, 2024. https://www.thestranger.com/news/2024/04/11/79463199/the-seattle-public-library-announces-1500-hours-of-closures-in-the-next-eight-weeks.

¹² "Why Is Rem Koolhaas the World's Most Controversial Architect?" Smithsonian Mag. September 1, 2012. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-is-rem-koolhaas-the-worlds-most-controversial-architect-18254921/.

¹³ "Rem Koolhaas: Designing the Central Library Structure (Part 1)." YouTube. May 22, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKkBiOHsDYw.