Yi Architects designed the € 79m Stadt bibliothek for Stuttgart in Eastern Germany. It was completed in 2011. Each side of the cube building is 45m long. The gridded windows glow colors at night, and by day blend into the dreary gray concrete of the facades. This same symmetry is seen in the grand central room, with rectangles of windows poking through the white surfaces. A single 1 m² fountain is the centerpiece of the building.
Above this, a glass block skylight connects to the book shelving area. Tiers and stairs wind down the five-story space to this focal point. It is an interesting strategy for uniformity, and it brings the entire building design together. The minimalist design is machine-like and very mathematical, but the arrangement of spaces indicates a human transition of functions.
(jwltr freiburg– flickr/creative commons license)
(suchosch– flickr/creative commons license)
(Rabe Ralf– flickr/creative commons license)
(suchosch– flickr/creative commons license)
(dungodung– flickr/creative commons license)
(suchosch– flickr/creative commons license)
(paiviyk– flickr/creative commons license)
