Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
Top School of Architecture Libraries
Archinect community,
I will be applying to M.Arch programs next year and am curious to hear people's opinions about which schools have the most impressive architecture/planning libraries. I'm not just interested in the collections of books but also in the aesthetics of the buildings themselves. Does anyone have any pictures of their university's library? Any particular schools that have stood out to you?
Of the schools I have seen so far, I'm personally most impressed with UT and USC. UCLA was a letdown. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Look up the Fisher Fine Arts Library at UPenn. I just got a personal tour of this building tonight actually (at UPenn this weekend for tomorrow's open house). It stores all sorts of architectural archives, and is absolutely gorgeous inside and out.
I've always heard that the Avery Library at Columbia has the indisputably largest collection of architectural books and archives of any school in America (does the Avery Index database ring a bell?).
The Sam Fox library at Wash U St. Louis was designed by Fumihiko Maki in 2006. Understated and refined in typical Maki fashion, it has impeccable natural light and it was one of my favorite places to go read or do work outside of studio as a student.
I second Roshi's comment. I spent four long years in that library.
Thanks for all the input!
The UGL (Undergraduate Library) at the University of Illinois at U-C is really cool. The entire thing is underground so it doesn't interrupt the organization of the Quad and has a large courtyard in the middle to let in light. Underground it connects to the adjacent neoclassical buildings. Definitely worth a look.
avery is amazing -
The Ryerson - Burnham library at the art institute of chicago has a larger collection than Avery -- 500,000 to 400,000 volumes, 1,200 to 800 periodicals, and the collections of original works simply don't compare.
AVERY LIBRARY - COLUMBIA. PERIOD.
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