Not your average library


In Almere, The Netherlands, the debut of a new library is attracting a lot of attention.  Concrete Architectural Associates designed a new library for the city using various retail concepts as the foundation of their design.  Instead of arranging materials alpahbetically or according to call numbers, books are arranged by genre or targeted audiences (youth, culture, health, travel, etc.), similar to that of a retail bookstore.  Throughout the library are various community spaces, including a news cafe with hundreds of newspapers and magazines available for browsing, as well as television monitors presenting the latest news.  Forget Starbucks - if we lived in The Netherlands, this is where you'd find me hanging out.