Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand

Four glass towers stand at the corners of a massive wooden deck, shaped like open books facing each other. Designed by Dominique Perrault and opened in nineteen ninety-six, the library serves as the centerpiece of President François Mitterrand’s grand projects for Paris. When the building first opened, the wooden slats on the walkways warped and rattled underfoot, and the trees planted in the central courtyard struggled to survive in the sunken garden. The books remain safely tucked away from the sun inside the towers.