A Book from the Sky
Our Sky Book Library is conceived to be a sustainable cultural space, embedded in a public community landscape, expressing local cultural identity in both its exterior and interior design.
1 A Stimulating Place of Wonder and Imagination
The on-going digital revolution seems to abolish the need for physical temples of knowledge storing. Instead, we think the 21st century public library should be a place of wonder, a creative design that turns the library into a stimulating place that embodies discovery and imagination.
Its architecture should celebrate the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful, it should celebrate the creation of knowledge through its public spaces. It should stimulate the desire of visitors to know something; it should make them feel curious.
2 A Public Community Landscape
In addition, the 21st century library should represent an embedding into its site, both physically and social-culturally. Rather than architecture functioning as a generic, closed container for housing functional program as an independent structure, we start our design approach with the creation of a public community landscape podium. An open, permeable landscaped environment that invites visitors to stroll through the gardens, as much as it invites them to come inside for a sense of wonder.
3 Cultural Expression
A “reflexive regionalist” approach to local identification. Here, to be “reflexive” is to be in dialogue with the local situation, and “regional” is the comprehensive, dynamic and sustainable condition of place, where solutions could be based on and emerge from. As such, our Sky Book Library takes two local cultural concepts as its inspiration for a reflexive regionalist expression in the facade and the interior design.
The external facade is inspired by the traditional Korean Dance ‘Seungmu’, known for its solo-performances in which the dancer wears a long sleeved robe that creates a beautiful mixture of flowing movements and stillness.
Team: Martijn de Geus, Han Zhang, Mingming Xia, Miaoxin Wang, Yingwei Chin, Yeeshyang, Minhui Lee, Tsunxian Lee
Project Year: 2021
Location: Seoul, South Korea