Library Buildings around the World

provide natural and efficient cooling. >The roof holds an informal public space where city inhabitants can stroll, practice
Tai Chi or meditate. Where the roof touches down to the earth, an open air theatre in the tradition of the ancient Greeks, is
created with space for thousands of visitors. The surrounding park the becomes stage and set.
Butterfly Garden:
Slopes, valleys and water pools create intimate public spaces varying in size, scale and proportion. Meandering paths lead to
a botanical garden, a bamboo grove, a playground, a tea pavillon anbd a butterfly garden. The park design is a logical
continuation of the performing arts center with its public open spaces and roofscape. (Mecanoo)
Birmingham Central Library, Birmingham – UK 2010 – 2013
Places:
Centenary Square is the largest public square in Birmingham and is situated in the heart of the city. At the square are the
Baskerville House, a building designed in 1936 and the famous Repertory Theatre (REP), a concrete building designed in
1964. The square lacks identity and sociability. The arrival of the Library of Birmingham to Centenary Square offers a
unique opportunity to transform the square into a lively public space with three different atmospheres: historic, cultural and
entertainment. The three buildings are located on the plaza conceived as an ensemble: three palaces that tell the urban
development of three different periods. The busiest pedestrian route from the city, the red line, leading pedestrians to
Centenary Square. The overhang of the library is not only a large canopy that provides shelter to the common entrance of
the Library of Birmingham and the REP, but also makes possible a great city with wonderful balcony views of the events on
the square.
Rotunda's:
The Library of Birmingham is a transparent glass building. Its delicate filigree skin is inspired by the artisan tradition of
this once industrial city. Elevators and escalators dynamically placed in the heart of the library forms connections between
the eight circular spaces within the building. These rotindas pla y an important role not only in the routing through the
library but also provide natural light and ventilation. The roof top rotunda houses the Shakespeare Memorial Room,
designed in 1882. This Victorian reading room is lined with wood from the first Birmingham Central Library. Its
prominent position as a rooftop aerie makes this delicate room visible from the square. The REP with its unique and
beautiful auditorium will be renovated. New workshops, staff accomodations and a shared theatre and foyer space will be
created for both the REP and the library.
Sustainability:
The Library of Birmingham is a BREEM excellent rated building and incorporates grey water systems and ground source
heat pumps. Although the Library is a transparent building, it maintains energy efficieny through the buffering capacity of
the building mass and the atria. Sun shading and reflective materialswithin the facades block the harsh rays of the sun
during the heigh of afternoon while allowing natural daylight into the interiors. The ground floor benefits from the mass of
the soil which provides buffering and insulation. The circular patio cut out of the square creates a protected outdoor space
and invites daylight deep into the building. The building will incorporate a mixed mode and natural ventilation strategy. The
façade will respond to external conditions and openings will allow fresh air intake and outflow. The addition of soft
landscaped roof spaces will further enhance the immediate surrounding conditions. (Mecanoo)
Kaoshing Public Library, Kaoshing – Taiwan 2010 – 2011
The Kaohsiung Public Library is a new cultural destination with 38,000 m2 of multimedia, research, study and
entertainment, theatre and conference centre. The new library complements other cultural buildings in development around
Kaohsiung Harbour, including the Maritime Culture & Pop Music Center, the Business Exhibition and Convention Center
and the Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts also designed by Mecanoo.
Eco cube:
Mecanoo’s 603 meter eco cube is integrated into a garden plaza landscape. Decked with potted plants and populated by trees
within its spacious three storey interior voids and roof deck, the new library provides a visual and material connection
between the indoors and outdoors while creating its own natural microclimate. The library is surrounded by tall buildings
which in harmony with the pergola provide shade to the library garden. The pergola lets natural daylight into the lower level
of the library, creating a pleasant shopping and social destination. Visitors may choose to enter the library in one of three
ways; via the descending plaza stairs into the shopping area with cafes; over the plaza and gardens; or from the rear of the
library directly from the street, which allows students from local school direct access. The library interior features large
3.500 m² fllor pltes of with connecting voids for openness and flexibility.
Shadow and shelter:
A grand deck over arcs the library garden and provides sheltered urban space. Elevated from street level, it provides a
buffer zone between the inner garden and the urban fabric surrounding the site. The garden performs as a protected
exterior library space and offers pockets of private spaces to cater to visitors who would like to read or study as well as,
performance space, social meeting spaces as well as a playground and a central multifunctional space connected to a large
children´s theatre with flexible indoor and outdoor seating capacity for an audience of 400 to 1000. (Mecanoo)
Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten, Amsterdam – The Netherlands
http://www.meyer-vanschooten.nl
Libraries:
Openbare Bibliotheek Almere, Almere – The Netherlands 2001 - 2010
Public building containing public library (ca. 11,000 m²), shops (ca. 2850 m²) 30 apartments (ca. 3750 m²) and a strategic reserve (ca.
2300 m²)
The wedge-shaped of Almere’s new public library site occupies a prominent position next to the town hall, with its apex on Town
Hall Square. The block accommodates several different functions. The Diagonaal frontage is lined by retail spaces, on Wandellaan
there are 30 apartments, while the southwest corner contains a strategic reserve of over 2000 m² for the library. The principal
element of the block is the public library. Although the welcoming main entrance lies on the square, the library is emphatically
present on all sides of the block. The library is succession of spaces which together form a route some 400 metres in length. An
escalator near the entrance carries visitors up to the first of a series of ascending terrace floors which bring them to the second floor.
On the second floor the route continues via an escalator to the study centre on the fourth floor or to the auditorium.
The building has a figure of eight ground plan and the combination of several loops gives the library its clarity and flexibility. Large
light wells make for an inviting and lucid interior. Glass walls throughout maintain contact with the outside world, while the light
wells and the garden provide contact between the different parts of the building. While the apartments are a clearly distinguishable
element, they are nonetheless an integral part of the whole. (Meyer)
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