The conditions for the design of this library were also unprecedented, with the need to place 3.5 million books on open stacks for people to browse. Hiroshi Miyakawa (Design Fellow, Nikken Sekkei)Ĭhina, as it continues to develop rapidly, is a veritable cornucopia of non-standard projects that are beyond our imagination.
This library aims to be a treasure house of knowledge, where people can perceive the real world, not a virtual one. It could be said that this is precisely why it will become even more important for people to come in touch with the “real thing,” experiencing the weight, feel, color, and the smell of ink that only real books can provide. With advancements in the Internet and progress in digital technology, the “information” environment is undergoing a sea change. Visitors can enjoy strolling around the facility and browsing the books as if they are going shopping. The 10-story building has books and videos arranged by genres such as general books, foreign books, children books, Chinese classics, multi-media, and cinema, in a manner that resembles specialty shop arcades. From the atrium, they can reach the books they seek by using escalators or observation elevators. The enormous size of the facility led to the design of a large atrium that provides good visibility for patrons to quickly grasp where things are located. The layout of the interior is more akin to that of a large department store than a library. This atrium delivers natural light from the skylights to each of the floors, and accomplishes an ecological role as a passageway for natural ventilation throughout the whole building. In the center of the building is an atrium that cuts across the structure from east to west.
The deeply chiseled exterior achieved through stone pitching is also effective in preventing Guangzhou’s strong sunlight from directly entering the reading rooms.
The structure’s role as a “collection of knowledge” is expressed through a random masonry-like exterior facade that invokes an image of a pile of books. Along with an open and soft design that makes the library a place that citizens can “enjoy using as an integral part of their lives,” it has an approachable layout with a large atrium in continuity with an urban park. The main characteristic of this library is that it provides the public with direct access to shelves holding some 3.5 million books, making it the world’s largest open-stack public library. As the final facility to be constructed to complete the cultural zone, the design not only aimed to harmonize with the other existing plans in order to heighten the overall attraction of the new cultural zone, but to also create a dynamic and open facility that breaks away from the traditional, static and closed image of large-scale libraries. On neighboring sites are facilities such as the Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Opera House, Children’s Palace, and an urban park. The library is located in a corner of the cultural zone in Guangzhou’s Zhujiang New City district. It has been thronged with crowds every day since its opening, welcoming over 10,000 visitors daily. The design for the library was selected at an international architectural design competition held in 2005, and the building celebrated its grand opening in June this year. Guangzhou Library is a large-scale library boasting a total floor space of about 100,000 m2 and a collection of some 4 million books. The World’s Largest Open-stack Public Library: Guangzhou Library (China) To that end, the green innovations in the building means that it uses 40 percent less energy than is recommended by Dutch building regulations, nabbing it the coveted BREEAM excellent rating. The building was designed with two principles in mind: first, that it advanced enough that it can adapt to the changing technology of the future and, second, that it be rooted in sustainability. The urban block and building are connected via a massive atrium and each floor of the building will feature a terrace that opens up into the atrium. The 13-story building and surrounding 6-story block sits at the entrance to the University, serving as an archetype of the University’s dedication to sustainability for those entering the campus. The sustainable building was designed for the Amsterdam University building of Applied Sciences and features a solar aluminum facade, intelligent lighting and climate control, a green roof and even housing for the local swallows. The Team RSG-designed Rhijnspoor Building in Amsterdam was recently awarded a BREEAM Excellent certification with 4 stars – the highest score ever given to an educational building in the Netherlands.