Book Wall

Library design, I have found, is remarkably consistent especially with regard to its treatment of books, with permanent storage consisting of ubiquitous rows of separated stacks. The image I submitted is from my work to reinvent the typology of the library. The project proposes an alternate organization, a ‘book band’, where the library’s permanent collection is stretched into a linear shelf. These book ribbons are bent horizontally and layered vertically to create an expansive framework in which additional library spaces can be inserted. This book wall infrastructure thus facilitates evolution of the library through time, where new spaces can be infilled or unused spaces can be removed. My image is a close-up light study created from one of my 3-dimensional digital models. It depicts the shading effects of an exterior glass curtain wall into which the shelving has been integrated. Here the façade protects the books in this band format from direct sunlight and allows the collection to be exhibited to the outside world. Thus the book is no longer relegated to the interior but is objectified and publicly displayed.