The Berkeley Public Library is a cultural center composed of three sculpted volumes that bridge exhibition spaces, reading spaces, bookstacks and auditoriums. A central atrium penetrates the main volumes, carving out tolerance between them to create relationships between interior and exterior. The building dissects the ground across the site to channel pedestrian flows from Berkeley Campus to its neighboring residential community. The axis that cuts the site harbors outdoor public spaces contained between the landscape and the building, carving entrances to the major volumes.