Bizarre-Looking Libraries from All Over the World

As you might be aware, we have a thing for libraries — both the wealth of knowledge they contain and their architecture. We’ve shown you many beautiful libraries and some very cool libraries converted from unused spaces, but now we thought we’d take a look at the more bizarre-looking buildings of the bunch. Of course, some are beautiful in their bizarreness, and some are just strange. Many look like spaceships — but hey, we would totally welcome landing spaceships full of books, wouldn’t you? Click through to see a few bizarre-looking libraries from around the world, and as always, let us know if we missed your local landmark in the comments.

Like a giant alien’s die dropped in the city. Aberdeen University Library, Aberdeen, Scotland. Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen. [Images via]

The Cottbus University Library, Germany. Design by Herzog & DeMeuron. [Images via]

The National Public Library in Prishtina, Kosovo. Designed by Andrija Mutnjakovic. [Images via and via]

The rhombicuboctahedron-shaped National Library of Belarus, in Minsk. Designed by Mihail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko. [Image via]

Book Mountain in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands. Designed by MVRDV. [Images via]

For the Midas in all of us. Luckenwalde Library, Brandenburg. Designed by FF Architekten. [Images via]

The spaceship/hard drive inspired National Library of China in Beijing. Designed by KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten. [Images via and via]

Peckham Library, London. Designed by Alsop and Störmer. [Images via]

Is the front falling off? University Library, Reims, France. Designed by Chabanne & Partners Architects. [Images via]

A library in the shape of a hole-filled chromosome. The Research Library in Hradec Králové, the Czech Republic. Designed by Projektil architekti. [Images via]

Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego, CA. Designed by William L. Pereira. [Image via]

The glowing checkered egg. Otherwise known as the Philological Library of the Free University, Berlin, Germany. Designed by Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank. [Images via]

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"Might want to mention that Geisel is Theodore aka Dr. Suess!!!!! " Most found it obvious!!!!!

The Rolex Learning Center is also pretty cool: http://www.detail.de/architektur/themen/rolex-learning-center-in-lausanne-000759.html I like how your picture of the Free University Philological Library illustrates why the students call it "The Brain".

How about Arizona State University's under-the-earth library, a building with an entrance at ground level and all floors (six or so in all)--underground?

Vancouver's main public library offers an amazing experience of architectural allusion. Go to this address and scroll down to the fourth pic: http://librarylatitude.blogspot.com/2012/01/elsewhere-anywhere-and-right-here-many.html

Some of these libraries look like something out of a horror story. Designed to induce nightmares.

I love a library. You love a library. We all love a library. Enough of the libraries. This list appears a lot from you guys.

I knew the Geisel Library would be on the list, go UCSD! I am disappointed by the photo, however. There are nicer shots they could've used.

Some fine structures, no doubt, but I think most will agree this one is a classic: http://blagdon.org/wp/index.php/2010/08/01/blagdons-phonebox-library-opens/

Might want to mention that Geisel is Theodore aka Dr. Suess!!!!!

You missed the University of Toronto's Robarts Library http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robarts_Library

Can't believe you didn't include the Yale rare books library.

Really, no love for the Seattle Public Library? Cool list nonetheless, some of those interiors make my eyes pop!