The architects conceived the new Central Library building as a celebration of books, deciding after some research that despite the arrival of the 21st century and the "digital age," people still respond to books printed on paper. The architects also worked to make the library inviting to the public, rather than stuffy, which they discovered was the popular perception of libraries as a whole. Although the library is an unusual shape from the outside, the architects´ philosophy was to let the building´s required functions dictate what it should look like, rather than imposing a structure and making the functions conform to that. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library

The opinion of architectural critics and the general public has been mixed; many like the new library but are less fond of its unusual design. Paul Goldberger, writing in The New Yorker, declared the Seattle Central Library "the most important new library to be built in a generation, and the most exhilarating." The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Washington awarded the Library its Platinum Award for innovation and engineering in its "structural solutions". The library also received a 2005 national AIA Honor Award for Architecture. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library