Salt Lake City Main Library: New facility is a mix of opulence and

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Feb 6, 2003 | by Brady SnyderDeseret News staff writer

Another jewel is the rooftop, home to a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains and bustling city. The view is accessible by elevator.

The roof is landscaped, with trees, benches, a fountain and great vistas.

Looking southward, patrons can see the plaza below. At the plaza's southern end, near to where the wall ends, there is a great waterfall.

The falls cascade over long brick steps that are sloped so that the water begins at the south end of the steps and travels north before trickling downward. The water doesn't cover the length of the steps, leaving several feet dry, another place where people can sit, relax and read.

The water here is sanitized so in the summer kids can splash in the falls. In front of the falls, to the west, are pristine gardens set below ground level offering a quiet escape.

Coming north across the Jerusalem pavers one sees a sunken stage surrounded by circular rows of stone seating that mirrors a theater from Greek antiquity. Here poetry readings, plays and other live entertainment will happen amid the plaza hubbub. To the east of this stage is the main entrance, and to the west is the reflecting pool that lies at the base of The Lens.

The plaza's eastern border is guarded by the inside of the crescent wall and will house several retail spaces. Eventually, there will be a cafe and other small shops and nonprofits.

Architect Moshe Safdie designed the building to be as functional as it is cool.

Start with the floors. Unlike most buildings, where air conditioning is spewed from the ceiling, every system in the new library is contained in the floor. Heating, air conditioning, electric and computer data lines are all below foot. That allowed the library ceilings to be made at low cost and also provides easy access to the systems for repair. It also makes the climate more comfortable, letting air filter up from the floor, instead of being pushed down from the ceiling.

Then there's the lighting. There are few, if any, places in the library where patrons will look directly at artificial light. Instead, the lighting fixtures are designed to reflect. Take the fixtures in the Urban Room. The bulb shines inside toward a decorative piece of metal, which, in turn, reflects light outward.

The reflective light affords a better visual atmosphere for reading -- complementing the building's abundant natural light.

"I am most proud of the light in the building," Safdie said. "There's so much natural light. Everywhere in the library you are seeing mountains. Everywhere you are you feel you are embraced by the mountains."

The Lens provides much of that mountain view but remains functional. It is a huge open room with a four-story glass wall, which faces the sun much of the day. As sunlight comes through the glass it heats the air, which rises toward The Lens' ceiling. Then, at given times, the air is pumped out. In the winter this hot air is sent to the library's heating system. In the summer it is simply expelled outside the building.

It's form and function with a splash of the ubercool, just what Safdie wanted.