The Philips Exeter Academy Library was completed in 1972 as one of Louis Kahn’s best works. Conceived as one of the outstanding achievements of Kahn’s architectural life, the Philips Exeter demonstrates his unique integration with materials, natural lighting, and shapes to create space.
This building stands tall at 80 feet and runs 111 feet on each side. The walls are made from brick, along with teak wood panels all around. The Phillips Exeter Library Natural Light Sources are intelligent, enormous skylights that flood natural lighting into the atrium and reading spaces. It continues to be one of the iconic American libraries today, inspiring architects and designers from almost every corner of the world.
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Exploring the Timeless Brilliance of Louis Kahn’s Philips Exeter Academy Library
Key Details About the Exeter Library Design
- Architect: Louis Kahn
- Location: Exeter, New Hampshire, USA
- Architectural Themes: Modernism, Primitive Forms, Open Spaces, Concrete, Bricks
- Building Type: Library
- Total Area: 12,300 m²
- Construction Period: 1965–1972
- Photographs By: © Xavier de Jauréguiberry
How Louis Kahn’s Vision Shaped the Philips Exeter Academy Library
In the 1950s, the need for a more extensive library at Phillips Exeter became apparent. Initially, the school commissioned an architect to design a more traditional library building. However, the school ultimately chose Louis Kahn in 1965 to create a modern design that would meet their evolving needs.
The school provided specific requests for the project: a brick exterior to complement the Georgian-style buildings on campus and an interior that would offer the best conditions for study.
Kahn’s design consists of three concentric square rings. The outermost ring, built from load-bearing brick, contains the library’s walls and the study carrels. The middle ring, constructed from reinforced concrete, houses the heavy book stacks. The innermost area is a striking atrium, defined by large circular openings in the walls that offer views into multiple floors filled with bookshelves.
The library is near-cubic, with each side measuring 111 feet (33 meters) and rising to 80 feet (24 meters) in height. This structural layout divides the space into three distinct zones, or “doughnuts,” as Kahn referred to them. The exterior zone is made of brick and houses the reading carrels. The middle zone, with the heavy stacks, is built from reinforced concrete, while the central atrium is designed to create a dramatic focal point.
The nearby dining hall supplies the Phillips Exeter Library Natural Light Sources, which Kahn designed simultaneously, although this building is considered architecturally less significant.
Kahn adhered to the building committee’s instruction for the library to be “unpretentious yet handsome, with an inviting, modern style.” As a result, the exterior is relatively understated, fitting the character of a small New England town. The facade is primarily brick, with teak wood panels at the windows to highlight the locations of pairs of wooden carrels.
The brick structure is load-bearing, and Kahn emphasizes this feature by making the brick piers noticeably thicker at the base, where they bear the most weight.
About the Visionary Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn, born in 1901, died in 1974; his works speak to monumental qualities of imposing scale and a regard for the value of materials. His Philadelphia studio has been acclaimed for his teaching and design innovations and for changing the architectural landscape in general.
His most notable projects include the Phillips Exeter Library Natural Light Sources, the Indian Institute of Management, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Salk Institute, and the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban. His legacy remains to shape the face of modern architecture since his works have remained timeless, embodying the audacious vision with which he approaches design.
Conclusion
The Phillips Exeter Library Natural Light Sources was a masterpiece that Louis Kahn left behind, and it was all about functionality blending with aesthetic grandeur. This is because Kahn’s innovative use of space, light, and materials results in a building that is a nucleus for knowledge and study and, at the same time, a work of art that will continue to provoke awe.
His design principles have been simplicity, clarity, and respect for materials, which he has left with a permanent stamp on contemporary architectural design. The library has remained an emblem of Kahn’s visionary approach, in that great architecture becomes timeless, spaceless, and usable, thus leaving a forever mark in the design world.
FAQs
- Who designed the Philips Exeter Academy Library?
- Louis Kahn, one of the most important figures in modern architecture, designed the Philips Exeter Academy Library.
- What makes the design of the library unique?
- The Phillips Exeter Library Natural Light Sources are among the finest examples of innovative space and natural light use. The large skylights illuminate a central atrium. The three concentric rings of the building combine brick, concrete, and wood to achieve a balanced and timeless design.
- When was the Philips Exeter Academy Library completed?
- The library was completed in 1972 after being designed by Louis Kahn in 1965.
- What architectural elements define the library’s design?
- It used load-bearing brick for the exterior, reinforced concrete for the book stacks, and a dramatic central atrium with large circular openings. The building also used teak wood panels to highlight windows and reading areas.
- Why is the Philips Exeter Academy Library considered an architectural masterpiece?
- The library celebrates its harmony in form, function, and light with the work of Kahn. His use of materials and space is so uniquely expressed that his building remains influential for architects and designers across the globe in all aspects of his timeless design.
