week 2

Light Series Model - iar 431

Library of Nineveh 626 bc

"In the ruins of the palace of asur-bani-pal, they found a passage which opened into two small chambers leading one into the other. The door way was guarded on either side by figures of Ea, the God of culture and the inventor of letter, in his robe of fishskin" 

"The walls of the chambers has once been paneled with bas-reliefs (method of sculpting, carving, etching into stone) representing a city standing on the shore of a sea that was covered with galleys (ancient ship, used for trade)."

"Up the heigh of a foot or more the floor was piled with clay tablets that had fallen from the shelves on which they had been arranged in order." 

-organized

-catalogued

-classified

-diverse

-secure

-athentic

contents: astronomy, religious texts, law, science, literature, history, commerce, letters

Angelica Library 1620

Rome, Italy

Angleo Rocca 1545-1620

Head of Vatican Printing Office 1585

Entrusted with editions of library + writings of the church

1 community library 1,500 volumes

2 own vast collection 20,000 volumes

-combined both into what is now the Angelica Library

1755 Luigi Vanvitelli- architect restructured

16th century, library catalogued

stood through Napoleon defeat 1817 and through french invasion

still opened today and holds over 200,000 volumes

-vast open rooms 

-vaulted ceilings

-repetition of vertical lines 

-sensation of walking up to obtain a book

The Black Diamond 1993

Denmark

Cultural center of denmark:not only holds books but many cultural activities are held here as well. Exhibits, showrooms

Sits on harbor around classical architecture

Exterior glass and metal creates modern shape

Interior contrasts with organic, fluid motion of floors

Said to look like a diamond sitting on the water by the ribbon windows lining the ground and the angled exterior