Contemporary

Interior of a contemporary library with curved white balconies, large windows allowing natural light, multiple floors with bookshelves, and people reading or working at tables on the lower level.

Surrey City Centre Library

The futuristic Surrey City Centre Library was designed by Bing Thom Architects and completed in 2011 as part of an ambitious plan to revitalize the area.
The image shows the modern Library of Birmingham with a gold-topped upper floor and decorative circular metalwork on its facade. People are gathered outside and on the entrance plaza under a partly cloudy sky.

The Library of Birmingham

The Library of Birmingham's intricate facade aims to keep it visually striking and avoid the fate of its predecessor, a Brutalist icon since demolished.
Interior of a contemporary library with white walls. A person walks up a staircase on the left, while another stands by a railing on the upper level. The lower level has boxes of CDs and DVDs. Light comes from a square window high up the wall.

Stadtbibliothek Heidenheim

In shape and function, this library acts as a force of cohesion.
A contemporary, multilevel library with curved balconies and tall white columns. Filled bookshelves and colourful seats contrast against the grey and white surroundings. Natural light comes from large windows at the back.

Le Studium, Strasbourg

This undulating shape marks the entrance to a landmark postwar campus.
A modern three-story building with a metal grid facade and wooden walls, featuring large windows and balconies on each floor. The structure is surrounded by other similar buildings and shrubs.

Hochschulbibliothek Aalen

Compact and efficient, this library combines clever design with simple, local materials to minimize its carbon footprint.
Interior of a contemporary library, showing the library's entrance and welcome desk in a large glass atrium. Three floors of bookshelves and worktables can be seen above the service desk. The elevator shaft is decorated with a leaf pattern in green and black.

TalTech Library, Tallinn

The veil that covers this building hides a bustling library at the heart of the Tallinn University of Technology.
Interior of a contemporary library with rows of tables and computer chairs, and a comfy chair at the front.

Bibliothèque Universitaire de Médecine, Lausanne

On a cliff above city roofs, the new medical library in Lausanne provides busy students with room to work and breathe.
Exterior of a contemporary library, a three-story structure with gently curving glass walls. The ground floor is recessed from the upper stories, providing a covered area. In the foreground are flowering shrubs, a Quebec flag flying on a mast and a parking lot on which the letters DMV (for Drummondville) are painted.

Bibliothèque de Drummondville

This award-winning library combines contemporary design with a colourful reference to local industrial heritage.
Exterior of a contemporary library at nightfall. Each level is slightly offset from the others, resembling a stack of boxes. The top floor is cantilevered over the plaza below. The library is brightly lit from the inside.

Halifax Central Library

Halifax's living room is a beloved community asset and a striking symbol for a city punching above its weight.
Exterior of a contemporary library. It has a wavy concrete facade with clusters of small irregular windows on a glass pedestal.

Médiathèque La Passerelle, Vitrolles

This library near Marseilles is the face of urban renewal for a neighbourhood once blighted by rapid growth and destructive politics.