Switzerland – Thomas Guignard photography

The entrance to a white building labeled Kantonsbibliothek with a wooden door under a portico. Bicycles are parked on either side of the entrance.

Kantonsbibliothek Thurgau

From classrooms to reading rooms: since 1912, the cantonal library in Frauenfeld occupies the former high school.

A symmetrical courtyard with a central statue and fountain, surrounded by neatly trimmed trees, leads to a yellow two-story building with arched windows, a clock, and a gabled roof under a partly cloudy sky.

Biblioteca dell’Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio

Thanks to a generous donor, this palace once welcomed the sick and the poor and now hosts a major research library.

A large, light yellow and orange building with multiple floors stands at the center, featuring a courtyard with outdoor seating, umbrellas, and parked motorcycles; hills and clear sky are visible in the background.

La Filanda, Mendrisio

From silk spinners to cash registers to 3D printers, this Southern Switzerland landmark has been reinventing itself for 150 years.

Wide-angle exterior shot of a Modernist office block on stilts. A person is walking underneath, next to a sign reading "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).

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

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.

Interior of a modernist library reading room with a large window to the right opening to a park with trees. To the left is a long bookcase, with globe lights above it. The room is filled with tables topped with work lights.

Biblioteca cantonale di Lugano

Situated in an idyllic lakeside park, this Neues Bauen masterpiece completed in 1942 launched Ticino's architecture towards modernity.

Interior of a modern library with a mezzanine in the centre and light wells illuminating the periphery.

Baubibliothek ETH Zürich

The ETH Zürich's architecture library on the Hönggerberg is a mecca for architecture lovers in Switzerland and abroad.

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.

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.

Bibliothèque Municipale de Chauderon, Lausanne

The "beefiettes" may be long gone, but the Lausanne city library's funky colour scheme keeps the 1970s alive.

Bibliothek des Kunstmuseums Basel

Bank ledgers made room for art books when the library of the Basel Art Museum took over a service counter hall for the Swiss National Bank.