The outermost layer of Exeter Library consists of handmade brick,
and the facade is identical on all four sides. Kahn said of his decision
to use brick, "I didn't try to make something that stands out. I
honored the buildings around me, and I chose brick to sympathize with
them." (Shenker p. 40)
Photo courtesy of the Great Buildings Collection
Exterior View
On the levels of the reading areas, Kahn detailed the window
openings with wood panels below and glass above. (Roth p. 154) Behind
these panels sit comfortable oak carrels, "open to natural light and a
pleasant view... answerable to sensation and to thinking." (Roth p. 160)
The inner layers of Exeter Library are constructed of concrete.
"Louis Kahn had often spoken of his quest for the natural order of use
inherent within a material. At Exeter, the natural order of concrete, as
a plastic material, is fully realized." (Roth p. 157)
