READING IN NATURE
LIBRARY OF SONGDO INTERNATIONAL CITY | 9000m²
In the era of digital revolution, any information can be accessed within a second. Thanks to internet people can download the book to read while having breakfast in the kitchen or study online without leaving home. In the context of smart city like Songdo, it is maybe clear to feel this tendency. So “What can be the purpose of a library today?”.
If modern libraries have stopped being a infomation seeking tool, how can architecture respond to this transformation?
Modern libraries might become a place where people come to enjoy a genuine reading experience within an attractive and dedicated environment. A place where the potential reader is invited to stay.
On the spirit of « Architecture as space», these questions were guidelines to the project and helped us conceiving fascinating spaces within a close and intimate human-nature relationship.
Located in strong connection with green spaces: public park at the side of East, in visual link to Jack Nicklaus golf course in the South of the site, the project aims to enjoy these benefits.
Different from the massiveness of traditional libraries design, we want to invite the nature close to the visitor. Inspired by the idea of making people feel themselves being surrounded by nature and tranquility during their reading activity, we started the project by imagining the existing site totally covered by trees. First of all, our building in the midst of «this forest» should be something smooth and «sliding» lightly among the trees to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior. An interesting idea would be to make the trees become a kind of building skin against the direct sunlight.
By extruding the plan, the high of the building that changes lower gradually from North to South facade allows to organize the different programs on the last floor. A patio in the core of the volume helps to create a link with all the green around the building and brings an indirect natural light into the reading spaces.
An original structure in form of vault of the building is a metaphor for the connection of diverse cultures. It also has a meaning in terms of structure and sustainable design.
STRATEGY OF BARREL VAULT
• Connection of diverse cultures, of the past and the future: Barrel vault, a popular architectural language of the libraries in previous centuries in Europe, is transformed now and incorporated into the international and modern city context of Songdo.
• The original structure of barrel vault freezing up the interior space by eliminating the columns and optimizing the consumption of construction materials.
STRATEGY OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
• Indirect natural light comes into the reading spaces trough the sky well and from a large glass facade on the North. A smaller glass facade is placed on the southern elevation. With the last floor at 11m high, all the trees around the building potentially become a first natural filter protecting the readers from direct light. The serigraphy glass and curtain also participate to control the sunlight.
• Natural ventilation: thanks to the patio in the core of the building.
• Rainwater recycled: vault roof effectively collects the rainwater.
• Reduce of consumption of materials due to the structure of vault roof.
