Featuring no books, but plenty of architectural details.
Library interiors usually get all of the glory—spiral staircases, soaring walls of books, and that musty, delightful, smell.
The Portuguese architect André Chiote thinks it’s time to start paying more time to the exteriors. “Libraries are exceptional buildings,” he says. They’re points of reference in cities, and their distinctive architecture sets them apart.
Chiote’s series of graphic illustrations highlights the unique structural details of these buildings around the world. He’s drawn the Delft University Library, the Seattle Public Library, and the Brasilia National Library, among others. His favorite to work on was the Viana do Castelo Municipal Library in Portugal—it’s close to him and designed by the architect Álvaro Siza. Chiote’s approach to libraries is a bit unusual. His work features no books, but instead depicts abstracted, geometric forms. “You need to already know the building to recognize it,” he says.
Chiote has previously applied the same minimalist treatment to other municipal buildings; he has a whole series devoted to the 2014 World Cup stadiums in Brazil. But to him, libraries have a special draw. “There is nothing I like more than a wall of books,” he says. Chiote’s designs simply and powerfully highlight the importance of the buildings that house them, too.
Prints, starting at 15€, at André Chiote Illustration.
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