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aerial view of multi-floor library with long wooden walkway surrounded by forest

This canopy walkway elevates Shenzhen library-goers into the treetops

A new pagoda-like library in China’s megacity of Shenzhen sweeps visitors above the tree canopy with an elevated...

main library room with maple paneling and skylights

A 17th-century Spanish hospital gets transformed into a cozy library

When Madrid-based design practice Murado & Elvira Architects won a competition to turn the ancient Sancti Spiritus...

Rendering of the school exterior

China’s first Slow Food Village will promote local foods and traditions

Rural-urban migration in China is at an all-time high, with experts estimating an influx of 243 million migrants...

Mulan Weichang Visitors Center, yurts, China, Mongolia, HDD Architecture, visitor center, green architecture, wooden beams, locally sourced materials, natural light, library, low-e glass

Yurt-inspired visitor’s center in China blends into its exceptional surroundings

This gorgeous visitor center in China was inspired by Mongolian yurts. Architecture firm HDD combined locally sourced...

Spring Whispers Book Club by Fon Studio, Spring Whispers Book Club, adaptive reuse hutong, book club Beijing, magazine library China, magazine library China, adaptive reuse Chinese hutong, renovated hutong,

China’s first magazine library is housed in a renovated Beijing hutong

Local architects Fon Studio breathed new life into a Beijing hutong, converting the historic residence into the...

Newbern Library by Rural Studio, bank adaptive reuse, adaptive reuse library, bank turned into library architecture, Rural Studio Auburn University, Rural Studio social architecture, Newbern library, Old Bank building renovation, CNC milled birch plywood shelves

Architecture students transform an old Alabama bank into a town library

A historic bank in a tiny Alabama town has been reborn into a surprisingly elegant library with looks rivaling...

Kew Gardens Hill Library by Work Architecture Company, Kew Gardens Hill Library, Kew Gardens Hill Library Queens, green-roofed library, Queens green roof NYC, glass fiber reinforced concrete facade,

Green-roofed Kew Gardens Hill Library lures patrons indoors with a lifted facade

A branch library in New York City is luring the community indoors with a clever facade that lifts up at the corner...

Rapana street library, Rapana library in Varna, Bulgaria street library, CNC milled pavilion, curvaceous timber pavilion, European Youth Capital, European Youth Capital funds, 3D modeled library

Gorgeous street library in Bulgaria offers 1,500 books for free

Nature inspired this stunning street library in Bulgaria, but it was computers that made the design possible. A...

Tianjin Binhai Library by MVRDV, Tianjin Binhai Library, China public library, futuristic libraries, eye-shaped buildings, illuminated topography, undulating bookshelves, spherical auditorium

China’s new futuristic library is unlike any we’ve seen before

MVRDV just completed the Tianjin Binhai Public Library, a spectacular cultural center that’s unlike any library...

Zhangjiang Future Park by MVRDV, Zhangjiang Future Park, Zhangjiang Future Park Shanghai, Zhangjiang Future Park Pudong, Shanghai mixed use development, Shanghai green roofs, green roof development in China, MVRDV in China, MVRDV Shanghai

MVRDV wins bid for green-roofed Zhangjiang Future Park in Shanghai

MVRDV just unveiled competition-winning designs for Zhangjiang Future Park, a 100,000-square-meter park and cultural...

Rural Libraries and Resources Development Program, Obadiah Moyo, Zimbabwe, donkey, donkeys, donkey cart, donkey carts, donkey library, donkey libraries, mobile library, mobile libraries, library, libraries, books, reading, literacy

Donkey-drawn mobile libraries bring books to people in Zimbabwe

It's not always easy for people in rural Zimbabwe to visit a library, so Rural Libraries and Resources Development...

Shanghai East Library by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Shanghai East Library, Shanghai East Library Pudong, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects Shanghai, modern library architecture, Shanghai library architecture, Century Park Pudong architecture,

Energy-conscious library that doubles as a “living room” breaks ground in Shanghai

Shanghai is adding yet another futuristic building to its modern skyline. The Chinese megacity just broke ground...

Albion District Library by Perkins+Will, contemporary library architecture, Albion Library Toronto, Albion library architecture, green-roofed libraries, Rexdale library Toronto, Maker Space Toronto Library, 3D printer in library Toronto

Green-roofed Albion Library in Toronto feels like an extension of your living room

It’s no surprise that the Albion Public Library is one of the busiest libraries in Toronto—its welcoming and...

Iran, Tehran, Book Garden, Guinness World Records, library, books, education, academics,

World’s largest bookstore opens in Tehran, Iran

Book lovers, we’ve found your dream destination - the world’s largest bookstore just opened in Tehran, Iran....

Shenzhen Book City by Atelier Global, Shenzhen Book City, Long Hua arts district Shenzhen, breathable skin architecture, mixed use public space and library in China,

Breathable skin to wrap around stunning light-filled Book City in Shenzhen

Arts and culture aren’t thought of as Shenzhen’s strong suits, but the manufacturing megacity is making quick...

Ofis Arhitekti, modular design, wooden structures, temporary structure, library, Ljubljana, Slovenia, green architecture, temporary architecture, flexible spaces, concrete, cabin, temporary shelter, treehouse

These wooden blocks can be stacked up to create cabins, treehouses, and wilderness shelters

Most cabins lie flat upon the earth - but Ofis Arhitekti just unveiled a wooden retreat that's stacked up into...

National English Literary Museum by Intsika Architects, Green Star library, five star Green star building, Green Star architecture South Africa, Grahamstown library, National English Literary Museum, National English Literary Museum South Africa

South Africa’s first Green Star museum is an eco-friendly literary treasure

One of South Africa’s literary treasures has transformed into an eco-friendly gem. Designed by Intsika Architects,...

Shanghai Library East Hall by nArchitects, Library As Home by nARCHITECTS, 2016 International Young Architects Design Competition, Institutional Unbuilt Architizer A+Awards, 2017 Architizer A+Awards, Shanghai Library East Hall, Shanghai library design, Shanghai architecture competition

Light-filled library doubles as a home-like environment in Shanghai

There’s nothing quite like curling up with a good book. Brooklyn-based nARCHITECTS imbues those feelings of comfort...

Waterdown Library and Civic Center, Waterdown Library and Civic Center by RDHA, Waterdown Library and Civic Center in Ontario, beautiful library architecture, sustainable libraries, energy efficient library design, library and civic center design

This library shows how beautiful sustainable design builds community

This gorgeous new library just an hour’s drive from downtown Toronto is a true civic center with its welcoming...

Seth Thompson, San Francisco, California, Little Free Library, Little Free Library Design Competition, American Institute of Architects San Francisco, little library, little libraries, tiny library, tiny libraries, library, libraries, design, design competition, competition

6 delightful tiny library designs from around the world

Children and adults can now check out books for free from tiny libraries in over 50,000 neighborhoods in 70 different...

Tsiaogou reading room by SLOW Architects, SLOW Architects reading room, Tsiaogou library, library architecture for children, wooden reading room, fan-shaped architecture made from wood, low-tech Chinese timber architecture

Fan-shaped children’s library wraps around a large cedar in Henan

SLOW Architects found a low-tech yet elegant solution to a small primary school’s need for a library and reading...

Sebastian Irarrazaval, Constitución Public Library, library architecture, library design, architecture chile, wooden designs, wooden architecture, Constitución, Chile, prefabricated wood buildings, urban design, public libraries,

Spectacular library in Chile built with locally-sourced wood from earthquake-stricken town

Chilean architect Sebastian Irarrazaval designed this spectacular new public library in the city of Constitución,...

Cedar Rapids Public Library by OPN, Cedar Rapids Public Library LEED, Cedar Rapids Public Library sustainable architecture, Cedar Rapids Public Library in Iowa, Cedar Rapids Public Library rebuilt, eco-friendly library, sustainable library architecture, LEED Platinum library

Cedar Rapids turns tragedy into triumph with new LEED Platinum public library

Tragedy struck Cedar Rapids, Iowa in June 2008, when a devastating flood swept the city and destroyed hundreds...

Shanghai Library by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, library architecture in Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Shanghai library completion date, shanghai library, shanghai library in pudong, shanghai library competition

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects unveils competition-winning design for the Shanghai Library

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects just unveiled plans for the new Shanghai Library that are every bit as impressive...

new york public library, book train, library, moving book around library, librarians, books, reading

This adorable red ‘train’ carts books around the New York Public Library

Some people worry about robots taking over their jobs, but librarians at the New York Public Library aren’t...

garage converted to library, garage conversions, Tjøme garage library conversion by NOMA Architects, tree-house like library, floor to ceiling bookshelves

Old garage is transformed into a daylit, treehouse-like library

NOMA Architects preserved the garage’s original 65-square-meter footprint, but added a combined library, kitchen,...

Albion Barn by Studio Seilern Architects, hidden library in barn, Albion Barn in Oxfordshire, farmhouse with library, hidden library design

Beautiful converted barn hides a secret library in Oxfordshire

Bestowed with the Historic Interest Building Status, the Albion Barn is the Old Belchers Farm’s main barn building...

Tianjin Binhai Library, Tianjin Binhai Library by MVRDV, MVRDV library ,Tianjin projects MVRDV, Binhai Cultural Center

A giant eye looks out from MVRDV’s futuristic library in Tianjin

Created as part of the new Binhai Cultural Center, the 34,200-square-meter Tianjin Library was created in collaboration...

Surrey City Centre Library by Bing Thom Architects, LEED Gold Library, Surrey library, social media designed architecture, people designed architecture, modern library, eco-friendly library

Gorgeous LEED Gold library was designed with the help of Facebook and Twitter

In lieu of community charrettes, Bing Thom Architects launched an online “Ideabook” that welcomed everyone...

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, student center, library, green university campus, China, bamboo, vernacular architecture, green architecture, frit pattern, glass facade

Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s university center is inspired by local mountains in Wenzhou, China

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects won an international competition to design the 25,000m² Student Center &...

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