University

Interior of a modern university library with rows of wooden shelves surrounded by a mezzanine on which more shelves can be seen. To the left is the blurry figure of a person in motion.

MMLL Library, Cambridge

The Raised Faculty Building at the University of Cambridge's Sidgwick Site offers a glimpse of a modern campus that never was.
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).
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 modernist brick and glass library. Two persons are walking in front of it.

Seeley Historical Library, Cambridge

Plagued by environmental issues and a controversial name, the library of the Cambridge history faculty is indissociable from the evolution of Modernism in the UK.
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 Brutalist library with a facade of large textured concrete panels between which are narrow vertical slit windows.

Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University

Dalhousie university's Killam library is a monolith of knowledge built to inspire stability at a time of rapid change.
Exterior of a brick modernist library, a symmetrical rectangular building with a bay of concrete-framed windows to the centre.

University of Windsor Leddy Library

At the foot of the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, the modernist Leddy Library marks the University of Windsor's shift from its roots as a Jesuit college to a public university.
Exterior of a brick Modernist library. The words "G. Flint Purdy Library" are displayed in white letters on the facade.

Wayne State University Libraries

Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan is a fine example of an early modern American campus.
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 Neogothic library reading room, showing a high rib vaulted ceiling and fan windows. Large chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The room is filled with long work tables, on which a few students are seated.

Library of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics BME-OMIKK

The grand reading room of the BME-OMIKK library in Budapest mixes medieval structural knowledge and 19th century engineering in a cathedral of knowledge.
Exterior of a modern library at nightfall. It is a rectangular building with a facade of thin concrete fins. The building is lit with a warm yellow light. There is snow on the ground.

Bibliothèque de l’Université Laval, Québec

Contrary to what it stern exterior may imply, Laval University main library in Québec City opened in 1968 as a future-ready flexible space.
More