SEATTLE CENTRAL LIBRARY, USA, SEATTLE, 2004
New public library with welcoming, intuitive public spaces and uniquely flexible shelving system
Panoramic Walkthrough 1 | Panoramic Walkthrough 2
At a moment when libraries are perceived to be under threat from a shrinking public realm on one side and digitization on the other, the Seattle Central Library creates a civic space for the circulation of knowledge in all media, and an innovative organizing system for an ever-growing physical collection – the Books Spiral. The library's various programs are intuitively arranged across five platforms and four flowing "in between" planes, which together dictate the building’s distinctive faceted shape, which offers the city an inspiring building that is robust in both its elegance and its logic.
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FACT SHEET

OMA / LMN – A Joint Venture

Location:

Seattle, USA

Status:

Commissioned: 1999
Completed: 2004

Site:

City block located at 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104

Program:

Total 38,300m2, including 33,700m2 reading room, book spiral, mixing chamber, meeting platform, living room, staff floor, children's collection, auditorium, and 4,600m2 of parking

Client:

The Seattle Public Library

Budget:

$111.9 million
COLLABORATORS

Structural:
Arup: Cecil Balmond, Atila Zekioglu, Anders Carlson, Chris Carroll

MEP:

Alistair Guthrie, Bruce McKinlay, Stephen Jolly, John Gautrey, Aung Oo, Vahik Davoudi, Amanda Brownlee, Russell Fortmeyer, Tony Cocea, Marina Solovchuk, Fiona Cousins, Christin Whitco

Fire:

Armin Wolski, Jim Quiter

IT & A/V:

Jonathan Phillips, Raymond Tam, Eric Lockwood, Menandro Domingo
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PRESS

New York Times, 16 May 2004
Seattle Times, 16 May 2004
Library Journal, 17 May 2004
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 20 May 2004
The New Yorker, 24 May 2004
Evening Standard, 20 July 2004
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AWARDS

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)
Silver certification

2005 Honor Award for Outstanding Architecture

American Institute of Architects

2005 Outstanding Library Building Award
American Institute of Architects and American Library Association

2005 Platinum Award for Innovation and Engineering
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
CREDITS

Architect:
OMA / LMN – A Joint Venture

Engineer:

Arup / Magnusson Klemencic Associates

Principals:

Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus (Partner in Charge)

Project Architects:

Meghan Corwin, Mark von Hof-Zogrotzki, Bjarke Ingels, Carol Patterson, Natasha Sandmeier
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SUSTAINABILITY

Extract from Seattle Public Library Website: Building a Sustainable Central Library

The Seattle Central Library has many design elements and features to lessen its energy and environmental impact on our planet. Elements that contribute to making the design, building, and long-term use of the new Central Library green and sustainable include:
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VISIT

1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104-1109, USA
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OMA COLLECTION

The project material for Seattle Central Library is part of the OMA Collection.
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