A former building for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Trade becomes an inviting meeting and work place.

A grand, gracious courthouse is a fitting base for the Dutch judicial system.

A slablike building in Ontario offers multilevel spaces that combine a traditional library with local government offices and community rooms.

A crisscrossing library in France marks the spot for a regional center along a redeveloping riverfront.

An EMS station in Queens brings innovative design to a quiet residential neighborhood.

A light-filled civic building in Los Angeles animates and engages a rapidly urbanizing downtown.

A monumental framework encloses a surprising diaphanous form in the Esposizione Universale Roma, south of Rome.

As you peer through the elegantly glazed vestibule of the new 53rd Street Library in Manhattan, instead of book-lined shelves, you see a large amphitheater with expansive wood tiers.

A sign on the door of Dudley Dough, a soon-to-be opened caf' on the ground floor of Boston's recently inaugurated Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, advertises 'pizza, coffee, and economic justice.' This improbable menu gives a clue to the larger goals behind the construction of the 215,000-square-foot, six-story structure completed this past spring.