The Evanston Public Library National Competition

with Georgia Tech College of Architecture graduate students
1991 AIA Architectural Citation

This competition proposal for a 120,000 SF public library begins with an open book displayed on a writing box located in the ground floor atrium. The text is Plato's myth of the cave-the timeless allegory upon which the scheme is based. The ascent towards light, like the ascent towards knowledge, is expressed symbolically and programmatically through vertical layering. The children's collection and library services are located on the ground floor, adult collection on the second, and reference and reading on the third. Support functions are stacked along the northeast wall, allowing for maximum flexibility and expansion. The library books themselves are aligned with the established orthogonal urban grid of Evanston, reinforcing a familiar social order on the building's exterior face. The vertical public circulation is aligned with the cardinal directions, tracking the rising and setting sun. The south facing curved wall is the stage upon which the shadows of Plato's marionette players are cast as they escape the darkness of the cave in their pursuit of knowledge.