Phillips Exeter Academy Library
Louis Kahn · Exeter, United States · 1972
Kahn’s Exeter Library is organized as three nested spatial systems: a brick outer perimeter, a concrete structural zone and a central atrium surrounded by giant circular openings that reveal the book stacks. The monumental geometry is balanced by small timber reading carrels at the windows, giving individual study spaces a more intimate scale. Completed in 1972, the library is a precise demonstration of Kahn’s distinction between structure, circulation, collection and inhabitation, and remains one of the most admired modern library buildings.