---- UNIVERISTY LIBRARY ---- St.Andrews, Scotland

Architecture should be more than just a container designed for a specific use and a library should be more than just a reading space. It should trigger questions in one’s mind. According to Erik H Erikson, at the age of the user group the individual has to achieve an ego identity in order to avoid an identity crisis. To reach Authenticity there are two philosophical areas where the design tries to promote contemplation. The Identity within Nature and Identity within Society. The first is addressed with the use of glass walls and roof where the user is “exposed” to the natural environment while daylight variations dictate the reading experience. A wall separates the surrounding garden into public and private areas where amphitheaters for large and small groups are designed. This division creates different views from the interior space to the garden and vice versa and dictates variation in human behaviour to observe or be observed in an attempt to address the Identity within Society aspect. How do we use a Library? As in the past, libraries should be once again a center of social life hosting workshops, events, exhibitions, training courses, and cultural entertainment. Therefore the exterior walls can be used for projecting movies, the garden area can host events and the study carels and desk are designed in a way that can open and close to maximize floor area for events.