Adaptive Reuse

Interior of an English Neogothic church transformed into a library, viewed through a community room constructed in the former choir. The community room is separated from the nave by a glass partition, through which the library can be seen.

Kentville Library, Nova Scotia

Pews have given way to bookshelves in this former Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.
Wide-angle exterior shot of a Modernist office block on stilts. A person is walking underneath, next to a sign reading "HEAD Genève".

Bibliothèque HEAD – Genève

Swiss industrial history, morally dubious wartime economics, a revolutionary sewing machine and a prime example of Modernism all converge in the new location of the library for the Geneva school of art and design (HEAD).
Exterior of a Provençal house fronted by a formal garden.

Médiathèque d’Arles

The hospital where Vincent Van Gogh was treated in Arles is now a cultural centre with a library occupying a surprising space.
Interior of a library in a converted wine store with prominent timber rafters. The modern elements are all coloured lime green and contrast sharply with the original timber elements. A woman is climbing a flight of stairs, in front of her is a level full of bookshelves.

Kantonsbibliothek Baselland, Liestal

In 1920, when Louis Roth took over his father Leonhard's business in Liestal near Basel, Switzerland, he took advantage of
Exterior of a modern brick industrial complex.

London Metropolitan Archives

A former print shop in Clerkenwell is now used as the archives of the Corporation of London.
Exterior of a presbytery converted to a library. It is a low, single story stone building with simple pitched roof. It is surrounded by mature trees and a well-kept lawn.

Bibliothèque Luc-Lacourcière, Beaumont

The 18th century presbytery of Beaumont was once a grander building serving as a schoolhouse before being reconstructed as it first stood.
Interior of a library in a converted chapel, wide-angle image of a reading room and librarian's workspace, with low metal shelves and cabinets, tables, and card catalogues. The vaulted ceiling is white with golden details.

Bibliothèque historique du Séminaire de Québec

Spanning four centuries of learning inside a former 19th century chapel, the library of the Québec Seminary is the keeper of a rich encyclopedic collection as old as the city itself.
Exterior of a 1930s post office transformed into a library. It is a four-story structure with a hipped roof and a square clock tower. The words "pestalozzi bibliothek" are written in red script on the main facade. There is a street with tram tracks in front and people milling about.

Pestalozzi-Bibliothek Oerlikon

At the heart of a bustling transit hub, the early modern Oerlikon post office now serves as a location for the Zürich public library.
Interior of a library in a converted Neoclassical chapel. It is a pastel-coloured barrel-vaulted hall filled with small cubicles. An organ fills a gallery at the end of the room. Cross-shaped chandeliers hang from the ceiling.

Dawson College Library, Montréal

Among the first examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada, the former Notre-Dame Congregation chapel in Montréal is now the Dawson college library.
Interior of a large neoclassical chapel. The main part of the room is used as a meeting space, with movable chairs, while the front is closed off by a glass wall and contains a library.

Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, Montréal

Long hidden behind drab ceiling tiles, the unveiling of the former chapel at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montréal in 2004 also marked the renaissance of one of the oldest libraries on the continent.
Exterior of the USI library in Lugano, Switzerland. It is a neobaroque building with vaulted windows and unadorned stone facade, with a contemporary concrete and metal extension to the right. The modern extension resembles a lattice of concrete elements supporting dark metal boxes. A woman walks in front the building.

Biblioteca universitaria USI Lugano

This former hospice for the elderly witnessed the early years of artificial intelligence research before welcoming the library of a brand new university.
Interior of a contemporary library, showing a thin steel and glass breezeway crossing a space with high bookshelves on either sides.

Biblioteca de México “Ciudadela”

From instrument of colonialism to citadel of knowledge, this massive library in the heart of Mexico City is a joyful labyrinth where to get lost in a good book.
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