UC Berkeley’s new East Asian Library
The architects stated that they designed the building as a strong box, a repository for books and a sanctuary for their use. Yet the solid and somewhat mysterious exterior masks an interior that is a model of openness and clarity.
An orderly spatial progression on the third floor from the circulation desk at the east entrance to the staff offices at the west end takes people along the central path past the ranks of bookcases.
Two photographs above by Jonathan Reo
View from the circulation desk looking west. Administrative offices are on the south side.
The following two photographs show the study hall in the northeast corner from which occupants have a sequestered view of the natural landscape of Observatory Hill.
Photographs by Sally Woodbridge
A media room that occupies the northwest corner features large photographs of China’s dramatic landscape taken by the rooms’ donor, Coleman Fung, who is also a UC Berkeley alumnus.
