Brutalism: The Geisel Library

The University of San Diego building is an iconic and striking example of the genre.

The Geisel Library, UC San Diego, California Photo: Erik Jepsen

Built in 1970, UCSD’s Geisel Library is a remarkable example of Brutalist architecture. Designed by William Pereira of Chicago, the building was designed to sit at the head of a canyon, with plans to expand downwards into the canyon as necessary. Its scale is immense; its design audacious. On first glance, it looks like a flower opening up, or a strange tree on the horizon, however the design is more meaningful.

With a nod to the brutalist ideal of designing for those who will use it, the entire structure resembles a pair of hands holding a stack of books, literally cementing the building’s purpose into its very being. While more modern brutalist architecture may already be showing a lean towards futurism, the Geisel Library has it all: the focus on materials, the scale, the simple shapes, the utilitarianism of it all, even the way that it looks like it has an exo-skeleton - the support beams are all prominently displayed, focal points of the entire strucutre.

Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, California

Pereira’s other work is notable as well, particularly the more futurist Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco (above), and the similarily brutalist Langson Library (below). Indeed, the entire UC Irvine campus is a brutalist delight, with most of the buildings either designed by or strongly influenced by Pereira. It’s worth a tour, virtual or otherwise. Fun fact: the campus was so brutal, it was used to portray a future dystopian totalitarian state in ‘Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.’ Pereira was the lead architect for the master-planned cities of Irvine and Newport Beach, though his influence extends significantly beyond his built work. As a Professor at USC, he taught a generation of architects, some, like Frank Gehry, who would become household names.

Langson Library @ UC Irvine, Irvine, California

The Geisel Library is named after Audrey and Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and more recently getting attention for his history of racism and anti-blackness. UCSD students have understandably been arguing for a name change.