slcLIBRARY 097, originally uploaded by The Bywaters.
As a bonus to my trip out to Utah, I was able to visit two amazing buildings. One of them, the Salt Lake City Library designed by Moshe Safdie, is a beautiful building. A large sweeping concrete wall protects the inner triangular shaped library.
As the wall curves across the site, it creates a courtyard in the rear and is held off the library by 40′ or so creating a large interior courtyard that is enclosed in glass. This atrium space is fully daylit and has circulation pushing into the space. Glass elevators, curving stairs and bridges enter this space and lead you up the library.
The massive concrete wall tapers as it goes up and allows for shops in the ground floor and reading/study tables on the upper floors with spectacular views of the city. And if that’s not enough, it has a beautiful green roof with paths weaving through gardens that lead up to the top of the building. Here you take an exterior bridge across to the concrete curved wall and can walk all the way along the top of the wall and back down around to the courtyard. The views of the city and mountains from up there is amazing.
 
Anyway…click here to see the rest of the photos I took while I was there.