2003
Seattle, Washington
Rem Koolhaas (OMA)
Pritzker Prize Laureate
With Seattle Partner, LMN Architects

Photo from the Pritzker Prize page - Reprinted with permission

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Rem Koolhaas' radical, deconstructivist design for the Seattle Public Library has been praised... and questioned. Early critics said that Seattle was “bracing for a wild ride with a man famous for straying outside the bounds of convention."

The $156 million building will have an angular glass facade encased by meshlike metal "skin" that surrounds five levels. Many of the floors for the proposed building are also glass. Structural support comes from foot-thick copper tubes which form a honecomb pattern around the building. This copper "skin" holds together five platforms which appear to float. The platforms feature a children's room at the bottom; a living room for browsing, public meeting areas and a coffee shop; a mixing chamber where patrons can seek help from librarians; a reading room where most of the books will be stored; and staff offices.

Koolhaas told reporters that he wanted "the building to signal that something special is going on here."

The design runs counter to the traditional notion of a library as a place devoted solely to books. Although the design includes book stacks, emphasis is placed on spacious community spaces and areas for media such as technology, photography and video. The slanted roof and glass walls are designed to admit sunlight and capture views of Mount Rainier and Puget Sound.