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The alien form of the Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego seems befitting of a backdrop from a science fiction movie. The building occupies a fascinating nexus between brutalism and futurism that its architect, William Pereira, intrepidly pursued throughout his career. With its strong concrete piers and hovering glassy enclosures, the library beautifully occupies an ambiguous state between massiveness and levitation, as if the upper stories have only just been set into their base and can be lifted back out at any moment. The tension between these two conditions gives the library an otherworldly appearance and provides a startling statement about the generative and imaginative power of the architect. While he is often stylized as one of the more under-appreciated shapers of 20th century American architecture, Pereira enjoyed tremendous influence throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, he was awarded the commission to build the library at UCSD due in part to his impressive history of eye-catching and inventive designs. The building was to be located at geometric center of the San Diego campus at the crest of a small canyon, arguably the university’s most prominent piece of real estate. The design needed to be a visually robust statement worthy of the location, and Pereira seemed to be the right man for the job.

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