Kosovo's futuristic library

Behold: the futuristic glory of Kosovo's central library.

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: architecture • kosovo • library • reddit

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twodimensionalme

Horrible.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

Are you sure this isn’t a matte painting from Quest of the Power Lords IV: The Powering?
screwt

huh. I think it looks ace!
StaneStane

Alas, it is retro futuristic, as it was built decades ago, in some better times. These domes are supposed to evoke characteristic white hats, part of Albanian traditional national costume.
djfrantz

I’ve always been fond of the Belarus National Library Death Star.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/435_BelarusNationalLibrary.jpg
gastronaut

Dymaxion Modular Library: scientifically optimized for maximum knowledge conveyence per structural element.
WaylonWillie

I’m pretty sure they haven’t taken the wrapping off of it yet. The chain-link-fence material is just holding it together while the glue dries.
HokkaidoHillbilly

I’m sure than any fellow graduate of the University of Tennessee will recognize that it’s a nothing more than a shiny Hodges Library / Q-Bert playfield wannabe.
http://blog.monstuff.com Julien Couvreur

Looks like tax money well spent. I’m sure the people of Kosovo are much better off.
http://artdonovan.typepad.com Art

I thought that the smallish, far shot was impressive and unique.

Upon closer inspection ( and aided by the enlarged image) I was horrified.

What the Hell!?!
- Ambiguity
  
  Agree. In the small BB picture it looked intriguing, but the blow up gave an entirely different impression…
  
  … but it is slightly evocative, in an interesting way, of the way reality starts splintering once the tryptamines hit your bloodstream. Seriously.
http://twitter.com/FredKiesche Fred Kiesche

Looks like something out of Justin Dahinden’s “Urban Structures of the Future”, which introduced me to all sorts of ideas (that we’ve not yet used). Good book.
eldritch

It may not be the prettiest structure in the world, but it does look like a HUGE library!

And give the fact that many American cities are simply gutting their own libraries these days, I’d say Kosovo has done very well for itself (especially having been through a brutal, and too often forgotten, war only a decade and a half ago!).
http://www.falconlara.net oscarfalcon

It’s absolutely Fantastic!
Antinous / Moderator

It looks like they put up the wire but forgot to stucco.
buddy66

Why all the warts growing out of it?
http://www.batshite.com/royalflush Scott Bartlett

This picture would make Rob Ford vomit uncontrollably.
juepucta

In case of imminent planetary destruction, the structure detaches and becomes a space ark filled with the smartest peeps and all the knowledge.