Zurich Law Library

ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland

The University of Zurich’s law library was first built in 1909. Eighty years later, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was chosen to renovate the old building. He left the exterior mostly untouched, but for the interior he designed a stunning curved, wooden atrium capped by a glass dome. A mechanical solar shade in the cupola regulates the sunlight and heat allowed in the law library.—Miranda Smith

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Library of the Institute of Law

The University of Zurich’s law library was first built in 1909. Eighty years later, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was chosen to renovate the old building. He left the exterior mostly untouched, but for the interior he designed a stunning curved, wooden atrium capped by a glass dome. A mechanical solar shade in the cupola regulates the sunlight and heat allowed in the law library.—Miranda Smith

The University of Zurich's Stunning Law Library

With its ornate Neo-Baroque Opera House, its stately Medieval guild halls, and its numerous grand churches that pierce the city’s low-slung skyline, Zurich has no shortage of beautiful architecture. And for the most part, it’s resisted the charms of the global architects. The few starchitect-designed buildings it has, however, are exceptional. The most stunning is Santiago Calatrava’s Library at the Institute of Law, an ethereally curving structure capped by a glass dome.

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