Phoenix's central library, designed by local architect Will Bruder and opened in 1995, is one of the more striking pieces of contemporary architecture in the city. Its long curved walls are clad in ribbed copper that has gradually weathered to a deep bronze, and the building seems to float above the desert thanks to a deeply shaded entrance level. Even if you aren't there to read, the fifth-floor Great Reading Room is worth the trip up.
That top floor is a vast column-free hall with a glass ceiling. Bruder oriented the columns and skylights so that at solar noon on the summer solstice, sunlight pours straight down the columns in a brief alignment that locals queue up to see. The rest of the year it's a magnificent, quiet space to work. The library also hosts free Thursday-evening events year-round.