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From this angle I had the vision that I am looking at a book That connection between form and function isn’t always obvious at first glance, especially with Brutalist buildings. But when you spot those design choices - like a library that looks like an open book - it completely transforms how you see the structure. It shows the poetry within the concrete.

 

These 2-tonne fins made from Portland stone designed to resemble the leaves of a book, are a hallmark of the library's Modernist design.

 

Rather than just creating an efficient building, Basil Spence designed a sculptural representation of knowledge and reading itself. The library becomes a giant book on display.

The modernist and Brutalist architects weren’t just working with abstract forms - they were creating meaningful, symbolic architecture that communicated purpose through shape

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Uploaded on October 24, 2025
Taken on October 20, 2025