This project seeks to provide students a safe space for reading books banned from Iowa’s K-12 libraries by Senate File 496 (SF 496).

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SF 496 is a statewide education law passed in Iowa in 2023 that attempted to remove library materials containing descriptions of “sex acts” and forbid discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation. Religious texts such as the Christian Bible were given exception to the rule. Colloquially known as the “Book Ban” or “Don’t Say Gay” law, the legislation resulted in the removal of approximately 3,400 books from Iowa school libraries including:

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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

1984, by George Orwell

Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Where the Crawdad Sings, by Delia Owens

Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

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ZA (Zuroweste Architecture) was invited by WAI Architecture Think Tank (Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia) to participate in their Fall 2025 exhibition A Classroom in the Future. ZA’s contribution, “A Traveling Sanctuary for Reading Banned Books,” takes its form from the structure of a book: a front and back cover connected by a spine. Built as 5’ x 7’ large-scale canvas stretchers, each leaf is connected by stainless steel door hinges that allow the sanctuaries to open and close like a book. Attached to each leaf are two steel casters, allowing the sanctuaries to travel freely and become nomadic. The three sancturies can be arranged: 1) spine-to-the-ceiling to create reading tents (steel chains are provided  to incrementally modify opening angles, prevent lateral thrusting, and ensure structural saftey); or, 2) spine-to-the-wall to create wall partitions. Following the exhibition, the canvas stretchers will be demounted and given to local artists to paint on. LEDs controlled by are included, allowing readers to choose their favorite color light to read with. Rectangle carpets, inflatable spheres, foam cubes, and plants provide additional elements of comfort and play.

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Special thanks to Annie’s Foundation, an anti-censorship non-profit that donated 150 banned books for distribution throughout the installation.

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