multiple plays of light truly embody the spirit of Khan's philosophy at Exeter Academy. As Stephen Holl concisely expresses "Architecture is born when actual phenomena and the idea that drives it intersect...Meanings show through at this intersection of concept and experience." It is exactly Khan's blending of idea and design that makes this building a model for theoretical execution in design. The following essay will explore the many architectural implementations of Khan's theories from materials, to form, to function and to the Silence and Light. This investigation shall probe the ideology in conjunction with its realization to the approach, the circulation, the enclosure and the details. Additionally, the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy shall be analyzed in relationship to his theories on education, institutions and learning. As the quote "I asked the building what it wanted to be" has been often attributed to Louis Khan, I shall ask the question, "What did Khan want the building to be, and how did he approach this challenge?" Institutions and Education Khan believed that "Institution stems from the inspiration to live. This inspiration remains meekly expressed in our institutions today. The three great inspirations are the inspiration to learn, the inspiration to meet, and the inspiration for well being". The architecture of Exeter Library captures the essence of these inspirations, offering opportunities for all of them to blossom. Khan continued "They all serve, really, the will to be, to express. This is, you might say, the reason for living". It is this inspiration that enlivens the spirits of the students, and motivates them to study and learn. I may suggest then, that if the purpose of the institution lies within the Silence, then its physical materialization becomes the Light. If we assume that the desire to seek truth and universal knowledge is rooted in the Silence, then we may accept the school building to be the Ligh...