Library Buildings around the World

The branch library of the National Library of Korea and the first of its regional library will be built in the Multifunctional
Administrative City. The ‘E-BRARY’, a compound word of Emotion and Library, implies a library that accommodates digital in the
analog form while reflecting the human touches. Grounded on three strategy concepts of the ‘emotional shape, emotional space and
emotional experience’, the National Library of Multifunctional Administrative City aims to be not only a research-oriented library
but also an open library to the inhabitants. Off to the north of the land connected from the central office building to the central park
lies the main entrance and exit for the pedestrian access. The central square and the pedestrian plaza in the west forms an open
space centered on pedestrians in connection with the cultural facilities in the surroundings. The water park in the east and the
neighborhood park in the south are connected with a circulation type green area. In the outside space stands the book theme park
and the sculpture park in consideration of the wedge type green axis directed to the city from the central park. Its shape sitting softly
on the pine tree hills and a pond if the first page is being turned exudes the sensitivity feel. Such design has stemmed from the image
that the information is being transferred to become the icon that signifies the dynamic city. (SAMOO)
Sungkyunkwan University, Samsun Library, Suwon – Korea 2009
23.742 m²
To keep up with the rapidly changing world of information in the digital era, there is a need for an arena for information exchange
that not only the systematise given information but also provides us with the needed information. Key to this design is having a
central point within the campus where people can exchange information. It would be a place for studies of new concept, a space of
multifunctional complex which makes students want to stay and utilise to the fullest the future-oriented cutting-edge information
facilities. The theme named the ‘Digital Library’ has been the most basic concept to apply in this design. A series of images where
books unfold expresses the open space where a surplus of information abounds. In addition, the growth curves of the leaves of a
gingko tree, which is the symbol of Sungkyunkwan University, have been modeled to be integrated in the front of building. The
Digital Library which has been embodied with transparent and metallic materials is set to reorganise the context of the campus as a
hub of information exchange in the heart of the campus. Once entering the indoor space of the Digital Information Center, an excess
of bright lights come through a large hall and the sharply protruded conference rooms represent the vivid vibrancy of students full
of dynamism and energy. The conference rooms that come in varying sizes induce the respective spaces to avoid isolation by floors
but to be connected with each other, providing students with the joy of dynamism. (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.org)
Yonsei University, Samsung Library, Seoul – Korea 2008
http://library.yonsei.ac.kr
After winning the design competition in 2002 for the Yonsei Samsung Library for Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of Yonsei
University, we redesigned it in 2005 when the program for the architecture was changed by the client. The new building is located
behind and in parallel to the Central Library. A decked square is created in front of the College of Law, adapting to the flow of
pedestrians within the campus. By accommodating the activities of the students, a second core of the campus is derived from the
existing core. The elevation is designed by applying a module of 6.9 meters in size, modified from the 6.7-meter module of the Yonsei
Samsung Library. With the openness and transparency created by the curtain wall, the verticality emphasized by the mullions and
the horizontality of the trelis of the roof, the modern architecture is in harmony with the existing Library. Honed granite is used for
the exterior skin to mix in with the Central Library and the College of Law, constructed in an open-joint method. The canopy of the
main entrance and the TPG glass at the back transform the massiveness the stone building might produce into refined exquisiteness.
The core is separated on its west, assuring spatial independence and flexibility of the library. The space is visually open by being
surrounded by outer walls on three sides and by sharing the courtyard with the inner space. (SAMOO)
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