A library built
to last
CENTRAL LIBRARY
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary is home to one of
North America’s largestlibrary systems, and the city
now boasts an architectural
masterpiece as the system’s
central hub. The downtown
complex, designed by the
Norwegian firm Snohetta, is
flooded with natural light and
features several aesthetic
odes to its native land: walls
made of cedar from nearby
British Columbia, a curved
facade meant to evoke cloud
arches formed by the region’s
Chinook winds. Of course,
the library also houses
an extensive collection of
books—over 450,000. But
it’s embracing its role as a
broader educational center
as well, offering learning labs,
residency programs, and even
a digital production studio
built for podcasters and
YouTubers. ÑWilder DaviesSHOWCASING
PORTLAND’S
ROOTS
WOODLARK
Portland, Ore.
In a city known for being
hip, it’s hard to get
noticed. But Woodlark, a new
Portland hotel, stands out for its
attention to style as well as the
way it has embraced its roots.
Opened in December 2018, the
hotel (with rooms from $150)
joins two historic buildings,
the Cornelius Hotel and the
Woodard & Clarke building,
and features a botanical theme
that pays tribute to the flora
of the Northwest. In the lobby,
guests can visit an outpost
of floral-design studio Colibri.
But Woodlark’s true center is
Abigail Hall, a former ladies’
reception hall turned bar
named after Oregon suffragist
Abigail Scott Duniway. Its
comfort- food menu—think
grilled cheese on Texas toast
and buttermilk- fried chicken
fingers—is generating outsize
buzz. —Alejandro de la GarzaDIGITAL SAVVY
MORI BUILDING DIGITAL
ART MUSEUM
Tokyo
The world’s first museum
solely dedicated to digital
art has drawn huge crowds—it
celebrated its 1 millionth visitor
five months after opening in
June 2018. Credit its Instagram-
worthy immersive environment,
which uses a combination of
visual projections and physical
installations to allow patrons to
wade through virtual windblown
fields of grass, explore a
seemingly infinite crystal world
and bounce between galaxies.
The 107,000- sq. -ft. space was
conceived by the Japanese art
collective teamLab, which was
founded in 2001 and includes
animators, programmers and
mathematicians. The group’s
mission, per its website, is to
explore “a new relationship
between humans and nature, and
between oneself and the world
through art.” —W.D.