Exploring Texture at Robarts Library

Texture vs Texture.

Most people look at Robarts library and think, That’s a lot of concrete. We look at Robarts library and think, That’s a lot of concrete!. Though—it should be noted!—it is not enough to describe Robarts with the singular concrete. When you think concrete, you typically think of a grey, rock-like substrate that resonates as a monotonous and functional material. With that in mind, Robarts would be better described with the word concretes, as the functionality of the material in this particular late-brutalist building is secondary and its appearance is anything but monotonous.

Robarts is varied. It has depth. The attention to detail is second to none. These qualities are exemplified in the materiality of the building—the different textures of concrete, the concretes. Like any great work of art, meal, or social experience Robarts has unity (through concrete) but is not uniform (because of texture!).