Libraries through the lens W. P. Scott Library
THIS, the third in our series of library images by Thomas Guignard, is a look at the W. P. Scott Library, York University, Toronto, Canada. Following the postwar boom in infrastructure construction, a significant number of large libraries were built in the 1960s and 1970s. The architectural style of that period, known as “brutalism” for its extensive use of exposed concrete, has since come out of fashion and is often maligned for its inflexibility and heaviness. Thomas said: “I used to hate it too, but then I started paying attention. Once I looked past the heavy, often decaying concrete surfaces, I came to realise that, contrary to their reputation as cold,
September 2018
inhumane fortresses, brutalist buildings often include very thoughtful design elements. I am now quite fond of these hard to love concrete beasts, or “bruties” as we brutalism nerds tend to call them. My Instagram account is called @con- cretelibraries because initially I wanted to dedicate it to brutalist libraries only. “The interior atrium of the William Pearson Scott library at York University in my home city of Toronto is a good example of the utopian aspirations of brutalism. With its planters full of lush greenery, this building by the Adamson, Parkin, Shore and Moffat consortium was designed as a transitional space between the entrance and the library proper.
Instead of a large, monumental stairway, there are several smaller sets of stairs and terraces leading to the book stacks on one side and the librarians’ offices on the other. The mineral concrete surfaces are balanced by the vegetation and the warm gold wood finish of the handrails. Those same handrails are also the perfect interface between the living beings that touch them and the mineral structure. “Sheltered from the harsh Canadian climate, this interior plaza is far from the cold and uninviting atmosphere often associated with brutalist buildings and the patrons taking a break from their work by taking in the view seem to agree with me.”
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