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Upper Riccarton Community and School Library
Douglass-Truth Branch of The Seattle Public Library
Hercules Public Library
Minneapolis Central Library
New York Public Library - Mulberry Street Branch
Nishimachi International School, Yashiro Media Center
San Mateo Public Library
Shunde Library
Whitby Public Library & Civic Square
Idea Store WhitechapelShunde Library
A library in China adopts a minimalist design plan and embodies the ideals of the region.
The library, together with a performing arts center and two museums, forms the new cultural center of Shunde, a fast-growing district with a population of about 1 million located in Foshan in the Pearl Delta Region.
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Standing on the previously context-free district center, the library and its neighbors adopted bold geometries. Functionality and meeting the tight budget were the major concerns in design, resulting in a simple rectilinear form that was easy and cheap to build. Free of odd shapes, the plan allowed for flexibility of layout. The “no-frills” approach turned functional elements—like the reading booths and the staircase—into design features. Additionally, climatically responsive facades minimized energy consumption while careful planning and a clear segregation of day and night zones cut management costs.
The library, apart from serving the community as a district main library, also houses two exhibition halls on its lower floors, which take up more than a quarter of the total gross floor area. Formed by colonnades of reading booths, the lobby was designed to resemble a gigantic bookcase that orients visitors to the correct sections of the library, while reading areas are punctuated with gardens and courtyards.
The theme of bamboo (in Chinese ideology the scholar of nature) was reflected in the design of the elevation and choice of materials. The interior of the library follows the Chinese idiom (bright windows and tidy furniture), which defines the ideal study environment for Chinese readers. Except for the west side for energy reasons, the all-glass facades with considerable shading from the projecting features allow a flexible layout of the reading spaces while a minimalist interior provides visitors with a neat and harmonious environment for reading and study.
Formal name of building:
Shunde Library
Location:
Foshan, China
Completion Date: 10th November, 2006
Gross square footage: 26,200 sqm
Total project cost: RMB 137 millions
Owner:
Construction and Development Centre of Shunde District
Architect:
P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd.
25/F OTB Building,
160 Gloucester Road,
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Phone: + (852) 2575 6575
Fax: + (852) 2891 3834
www.p-t-group.com
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