The Main Library Building

The Main Library Building (Gonzalez Hall)

Named after former U.P. President Bienvenido M. Gonzalez (1939-1951), the Main Library Building was the first building to be constructed after the University transferred from its original site in Manila to the Diliman campus. Construction of the building was started in May 1949, four months after the transfer, and finished in June 1950, with completed by January 1951.

The Main Library Building stands in the very midst of the academic buildings in Diliman. It is rectangular, measuring 102.75 meters long and 20.55 meters wide, with four floors including the basement. It has a stacks unit jutting to the rear from the center, measuring 27.40 meters long and 30.55 meter wide, with provisions for 8 decks of which only five are complete to date.

The decision to construct the Main Library at the center of the academic square accounts for its poor geographical orientation. In order to align it with the other buildings, its entire length runs from north to south, so that the building faces east and west, exposing readers inside to the glare of the sun the whole day.

The exterior of the building has a touch of the classic by the presence of columns along the frontage. There are four massive columns extending upward to the fourth floor line the porch facing the main entrance, with an additional four columns each on both sides of the porch reaching up to the third floor. Access to the main entrance is provided by an 18-step stairway.

The building is modular in design and function. The structural bay measures 6.85 meters. Internally its fixed commitments consist only of the stairs, elevator and toilets. Maximum flexibility of physical lay-out is provided by the absence of load-bearing partitions, the continuous ceiling, and modular lighting.