Library

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. — Dead Poets Society (1989)

Zikawei Library: Basilica in the library – At the beginning of 2023, the Zikawei Library, designed by Wutopia Lab for four years, was officially opened. Coming to be the most sensational cultural landmark in Shanghai, it was also the first time that the project was known to the whole city before the official announcement from the studio. Now, this article is more like a summary instead of its unveiling. Before it became the Zikawei Library, the building was designed as a bookstore by David Chipperfield Architects. Unfortunately, just after the facade and the structure of the building were completed, the building was left vacant. After two investments of the bookstore had bowed out, this building was eventually designated to be the public library in Zikawei District and named the Zikawei Library.

The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Library is located in a dense urban node of the city of Barcelona, and it is precisely this context that causes the geometry of the construction to adapt to the conditions of the environment, replicating the chamfer, a typical urban resource of Barcelona that is consistently found in the surroundings of this metropolis.

The heart of the university campus. The redesign has given the library a completely new look, characterised predominantly by the two-storey glass-fronted platform that juts out from the top of the historic reading room, originally built in 1895. Demolishing the 1970s-built extension uncovered the historic, listed façade on the north side of the library, which now has a large covered area in front of it. The effect of this – in regard to the urban development of the centre of the en-tire campus – was a major factor in the jury’s decision.

In the suburbs of Guangzhou, there is a health, resort, and art community, covering an area of 15,000 acres, called Tian Ren Shan Shui Land Art Community. An important building is necessary for the elderly can feel the core spirit of the community: regaining the value of life. The building should be steady enough to become a symbol of the community, and a flowing shape contains vitality and vitality, a touching space that evokes the resonance of the heart.

The Württemberg State Library building in Stuttgart is one of southern Germany’s preeminent architectural achievements of the 1960s. The building is impressive due to its generous sequence of spaces as well as the thoughtful choice of materials and the high quality of its architectural implementation.

The Warrnambool Library and Learning Centre replace the existing local library with a much larger, brighter, and more accessible space in the heart of Warrnambool’s CDB. The new space is located on the South West TAFE campus and provides facilities for both the local community and South West TAFE students and staff. The space includes a modern indoor-outdoor café, public computers, exhibition and display areas, places to study and read, meeting rooms, a dedicated children’s area, and games and digital media zone. The project is the outcome of a partnership between the Victorian Government, South West TAFE, and Warrnambool City Council and realizes a vision to bring together education, community, and the arts.

The project locates at the fringe of Taichung City. Like most rural areas in Taiwan, it is densely populated with low-rise residential buildings and farmland, however very few areas are reserved for public amenities. It has called for a library for the community and a school gymnasium, right next to an existing primary school. The challenge of this project is more than just simply placing these two buildings and programs in a very difficult site but creating a sense of place through expanding layers of activities, natural conditions, tectonic details, and ambiance. Because the site is very long and narrow, buildings have to be distributed at two ends of the boundary. These two buildings shall face each other and create a communal square in the middle. The square becomes the new focus as well as the new side entry for the school which knitted the community and school even closer. Outdoor terraces, roof gardens, and a ramp projecting out from these two buildings try to extend the periphery of the communal square.

Washington State’s Methow Valley has a combined population of 14,000-20,000 part and full-time residents. The town of Winthrop in the heart of the valley was previously underserved by a small library with inadequate access to resources and services. Residents were eager for change. By prioritizing community collaboration in the design process, the architects were able to quantify the community’s hopes for their new library while directly addressing what wasn’t working, creating Winthrop’s ideal civic space.