The 2006 library by Alberto Kalach suspends its entire collection from the ceiling on steel scaffolding — the books are arranged above the readers on elevated walkways, accessible by staircases that intersect the main atrium at unexpected angles. From the ground floor, the effect is vertiginous: a multi-story volume of steel, glass, and suspended book-mass, lit from skylights above. The library is in Buenavista, adjacent to the main rail terminal, and is fully public — one of the few monumental civic buildings in Latin America that is also genuinely used every day.
Buenavista, Mexico City, Mexico