The Architecture and Architectural Landscape Library in Rapson Hall is a uniquely cool and serene place to study. MURPHY NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY SAM HARPER.
By SAM HARPER/Murphy News Service
The University of Minnesota is filled with good places to study.
But GREAT study spots are a different matter.
Coffee shops can be nice, but end up denting your wallet. Many students choose the Walter or Wilson libraries, but they attract a lot of students, meaning the comfiest chairs are often occupied.
But inside Ralph Rapson Hall sits one of the best hidden gems on campus: The Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library.
The building is named after architect Ralph Rapson, who was responsible for the design of the Guthrie Theater in 1963 and the Cedar-Riverside apartment complex in 1973.
Rapson Hall was renovated and expanded in 2002 by Steven Holl, an internationally known architect based in New York City.
The Rapson website describes the new space as having “asymmetrical angular forms and spaces” that “contrast with the rectilinear modernist sensibility of the original building.”
What this means for students is that the library is an aesthetically pleasing space, and offers many tucked away corners for secluded study spots. Situated on the second floor, you need to know where you are going in order to find it.
Kate Doyle has been working at the front desk of the library since last year and says it’s a great place to focus and study. “It isn’t too crowded or cramped,” the sophomore said. “It’s very beautifully designed.”
Doyle also touched upon the nice lighting due to the large amount of windows in the space. This was one common threads students mentioned.
“It has a lot of good lighting,” chemistry major Austin Goldberg said. Goldberg said he makes sure to come study at Rapson at least twice a week. “It has a really crisp feel,” he said.
Chairs can often make or break a study spot. The Rapson Library doesn’t disappoint. Since 1966, architect-designed chairs have been gifted to the library, allowing students to not only study the chairs, but sit on them as well.
An example is the EA115 Eames Chair, designed in 1958 by Charles Eames and Ray Eames. Online, one can find a in-depth description of each chair.
For instance: “The Aluminium Chair stands out for its intelligent combination of materials. The covers are attached inside the aluminum profile sections and simply stretched over the frame, transforming them from mere coverings to a load-bearing part of the structure. It adapts to fit the body snugly and delivers great comfort, even without extensive upholstery.”
Quiet surroundings, comfy accommodations, unique spaces and architect-designed chairs. Add them up and the Rapson Hall Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library just might be the best study spot on the U campus that you have never heard about.
Reporter Sam Harper is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.