If You Build It Geisel Library Case Study

David Riches
FYS 103: If You Build It
Professor Moriconi
15 November 2012
The Unusualness of the Geisel Library Sometimes, it’s good to be bad. Rules are meant to be broken. It’s good to be completely different. At least, this is the case when considering unusual architecture. Most buildings follow the standards and practices established by architectural movements of the past, but unusual buildings break rules and don’t do this. The Geisel Library, designed by William Pereira in the 1960’s, is a wonderful example of unusual architecture. Made of reinforced concrete and glass, the building has 176,000 total square feet, eight floors, and cost over five million dollars to build. Named after Theodore Geisel (better known as Dr. Suess), the Geisel Library doesn’t follow the standards set in the past and shows
that rule-breaking is a beneficial trend in the architectural world. William Pereira was an architect from Chicago and began working in the late 1930’s.
He was famous for his buildings with unique designs, and the Geisel Library is no exception. The Geisel Library has an unusual shape, and it sort of resembles a pyramid. The first two floors of the library compose the base, and the tower is composed between the fourth and eight floors. One unique part of the library is the “lack” of a third floor. The third floor is just reinforced concrete and is used as an emergency exit for the people on the higher floors. All of the floors in the tower are completely surrounded by large glass windows, making the building look like a spectacle. The most unique feature about the building is its shape. Unlike most buildings, the widest point of the Geisel Library is the sixth floor, two floors from the top. The sixth floor spans over 210 square feet. The tower floors above and below the sixth floor progressively shrink to the size of the base. Sixteen giant concrete beams extend upwards from the building’s base to support floors four, five, and six. The concrete beams also look dramatic, adding to the spectacular feeling of the
library. The decisions made by William Pereira in the design break architectural rules. The most apparent rules it breaks are regarding the unusual shape. Most buildings are widest at the base, and either maintain their width or narrow towards the top. While there are buildings that get wider towards the top, none do this as extravagantly as the Geisel Library. The use of concrete beams extending from the base to support the higher floors is quite unusual, but works magnificently. Having rule-breaking architecture like the Geisel Library is a beneficial trend in the architecture world. If architects always abided by the set standards and never broke rules, buildings would never evolve. The modern skyscraper, the brainchild of legendary American architect Louis Sullivan, was an unusual design when first proposed in the late 1800’s. If Sullivan never broke a rule or two, urban life would be nothing like it is today. Not only does rule-breaking help architecture evolve and benefit the world, but it also allows architects to create true pieces of art. Buildings such as the Geisel Library are fascinating to look at, and people love to visit these kinds of buildings. It’s always good for the architectural world when buildings are widely praised and admired, and the unusual buildings that break rules tend to do that the most. William Pereira eventually passed away in 1985 at the age of seventy-six, but his legacy lives to this day. Pereira designed over 400 projects, and his unique designs are very influential in the modern world today. The Geisel Library is one of his best designs, and it truly exemplifies what it means for unusual architecture to break rules.