concept & vision
Our vision for the Daegu Gosan Public Library is for a building with a strong character: for a very strong and very special landmark on the local skyline that inspires a feeling of identification and investment in the community it serves. Within the building, our vision is for a dynamic relationship between diverse spaces that enables lively exchanges between visitors, but also provides the acoustic protection and functional organization that enable the library to function with efficiency and serenity. The building has, externally, a powerful sculptural presence that anchors a complex and varied urban site, and has, internally, a subtle variety of big and small spaces, and a careful curatorship of daylight and views, that ensures a lively yet scholarly atmosphere. The scale of the structure mediates between the adjacent low-rise residences and the high-rise towers to the North of the road. The round form of the structure makes it stand out as a clear icon of public life, and distinguishes it from the sometimes repetitive rectangular geometries of the nearby residential towers.
design & architecture
The plaza leads down to an independent entrance for the assembly room/auditorium at the lowest level, and to exhibition spaces on an adjacent mezzanine. On the South side of the building, a street-level entrance leads visitors to the lobby/information area of the library. In the lobby; a translucent ceiling filters in daylight from an atrium above, while filtering out sound from the entry area. The floor of that atrium is the second level above ground, and serves as the main library level, which is overlooked by four terraced reading areas, each on their own mezzanine, and by book stacks and shelves.
The terraced layout encircling the atrium allows for functional efficiency, but also for great visual connections and meaningful understandings between different areas and activities. A variety of public and semi-private areas for browsing, consulting, readying, studying, lounging, and more, is generated by the juxtaposition of large open spaces and intimate alcove-like areas. This variety of spatial experiences supports the harmonious balance between active and restful, focused and reflective, representing a library at its best.
Above this main area, is an acoustically-protected children’s activity area, with a double-height area occupied by a stepped amphitheater dedicated to playful learning activities. Above that, with commanding views both inside and outside, are administrative offices. A roof garden and observatory crowns the structure, which creates another spectacular connection between library and park, neighborhood and city and allows for more leisure activities and social interaction.
program & use
The building is organized around a multiple-level central open area, directly connected to the program housed in more intimate spaces on the north and south area around the atrium. About 170 shipping containers have been stacked, cut on the outside, and carved on the inside to create interconnected interior spaces. A variety of public and semi-private areas for browsing, consulting, readying, studying, lounging, and more, is generated by the juxtaposition of large open spaces and intimate alcove-like areas. The terraced layout encircling the atrium enables visual connections and understanding between different areas and activities.
impact & significance
We feel that the combination of technology and beauty captured by this approach, and by the energetic yet harmonious rounded form, is especially appropriate to a vision of the contemporary library, that combines timeless serenity and responsibility, with timely high-tech interfaces and versatile open interiors--the best of the past and the best, so far, of the future.
