The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France), in the Tolbiac section of Paris, was designed as an architectural monument to the late President François Mitterrand. Its usefulness as a library (and in general) seems to have taken a back seat. So it is covered with this impressive esplanade of wood planks, which are very slippery when it rains. The books are in glass towers; the architect had to add wood shutters to protect them from light and heat. Readers work in the lower levels of the building. To get in, you have to climb up and over the esplanade and then descend into the central courtyard. There's a rolling sidewalk that goes down, but it no longer rolls: it was too slippery, so they stopped it and put a rubber mat over it. Now you have to walk down, at an uncomfortable angle. Once inside, researchers have to descend even further. (The general reference library is on the upper level; the research library is on the lower level.)
Still, the place can look impressive at the right time, from the right angle.