Library Buildings around the World

uilding contractors, property developers, household appliance manufacturers, government bodies and academic institutions. It
represents Taiwan on the World Green Building Council (WGBC). According to Chiu, by the end of July 2007 the total number of
completed and EEWH certified green buildings in Taiwan was 195. This number may seem small, but by international standards
Taiwan is making excellent progress. According to the WGBC's website, only 25 projects in Australia have been certified under that
country's Green Star evaluation system. In Japan, just 16 buildings had satisfied CASBEE requirements by the end of 2006. Alex
Hsu (徐鼎皓), one of Kuo's co-workers, says green buildings are typically 10 to 30 percent more costly than standard designs.
Despite this, Taiwan's sustainable construction industry is growing. A total of 1,216 projects were being considered for EEWH
certification at the end of July 2007, says Chiu. And as of August 2007, Bio Architecture Formosana was working on three more
"green" projects—a hillside temple and nunnery on the outskirts of Taipei, a bank building in Yilan County (宜蘭縣) on the east
coast, and a dormitory for the employees of a research institute in Tainan County (台南縣) in the south of Taiwan.
Written by Steven Crook for culture.tw, ( http://www.culture.tw)
MAYU Architects, Kaohsiung City – Taiwan
MAYU architects+, founded in 1999 as Malone Chang Architects, later as Malone Chang and Yu-lin Chen Architects, is an
interdisciplinary practice based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
http://www.malonearch.com.tw
Libraries:
Tainan Yu-Wen Library, Tainan City – Taiwan 2012
Yuwen Library is a critical part of an ongoing municipal projects to expand the reading environment for the communities
throughout Tainan City. The key design goals are to pull together surrounding public facilities by its unique facades, and expose its
inner activities to the city by locating large concrete “windows” at building corners. We see this library as generator of civic
programs, and the children’s library, facing an elementary school across the street, plays an important role.
The Library is located in the East District, Tainan City. The site is bounded by streets ranging from 12m to 20m widthwise and also
surrounded by public facilities: elementary school to the north, community center to the east, and the park to the south. The Yu-sin
Boulevard to the west is the main south-north corridor in the area. The library is a 4-story concrete construction on a 2965 m2 site
with 3144 m2 total floor area. The projected collection capacity is 110,000 books. The construction budget is around
NY$122,000,000. Library is a place of reading. However, in this information age, digital media and visual-audio resources have
formed significant parts of any library collections. Therefore, in contemporary library, the visual acts of reading, browsing, and
gazing create a web of inter-reference, resulting a fluid relationship of subjects and objects. In order to capture such contemporary
phenomenon, the architectural interpretation of gaze and looking becomes guiding concepts of this project.
Gaze and looking: Concrete volume as visual vehicle
The site is adjacent to several urban programs with high public value; therefore, a concrete lower volume is proposed to negotiate
those urban events on the one hand, and organize internal functions on the other. Large fenestrations articulated with concrete
panels and canopies are located at dramatic moments: street corner facing elementary school (children’s library), frontal view
toward community center (young-adult area), gaze window viewable from the park (reading room), and finally the horizontal
glazing along the boulevard (lobby and new arrival). These symbolic openings convey the public character of the library, allowing
citizens’ gaze penetrates the library boundaries from all angles. The coexistence of the expansive concrete walls and openings
suggests enough aura that lures citizens to explore the knowledge inside.
Simultaneously Iconographic and transparent: Wood volume as symbol of books
The significant position of Library in the historical and social-cultural context always calls for symbolic formal language. A wood
volume is half-lodged on top of the lower concrete volume: this volume contains collective human knowledge and clad in vertical
wood louvers. It is the metaphor and representation of books. Characterized by four carved in curves, the form of the wood volume
is distinct and iconographic. Internally, the combination of louvers and expansive glazing generates a transparent and universal
space full of diffused sunlight. Here, the desire of gaze and looking is minimized; what is left is the very original act of reading.
(MAYU Architects)
J.J. Pan Partners, Taipei – Taiwan
http://www.jjpan.com
Libraries:
National Library of Public Information, Taichung –Taiwan 2007 - 2012
Situated in the middle of the island of Taiwan, the National Library of Public Information occupies a site that is both geographically
and metaphorically the confluence of information exploration and urban evolution. The striking form of the building features a
"horizontal flow" theme recalling the early irrigation canals in the city's settlement since the 18th century, as well as symbolizing the
fluid data interface in the internet age. Architecturally, the project is strongly rooted in the canons of modern architecture such as
Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Modern Architecture; but also addresses conceptual questions such as how the library is to survive or
even thrive in the digital age. In fact, the genesis of the design is the decision to directly confront the challenges and opportunities
presented by the dynamic nature of digital media. The resulting fluid building form and ever-changing spatial movement are
manifested in the protruding volume of the conference center, the grand steps connecting the plaza and the L shaped buildings
embracing a landscaped court. Akin to how the Five Points challenged the conventional design and construction practices of the
time, the library tested the limits of design and construction in Taiwan. To achieve the building’s free-formed skin with its curved
planes and organic tree trunk-shaped columns, the latest 3D design software and quite a few on-site mock-ups were utilized. In the
end, a composite wall system with integrated insulation molds the folding surfaces, which are cladded with pearl-white round mosaic
tiles of eight different sizes enabling the skin to achieve a monocoque appearance. In the interior, each floor from level one for five,
takes its visual design cue from the corresponding outside view - people, trunk, canopy, the city skyline, and clouds respectively. The
landscape design features a moon-gazing berm with a multitude of native plants and low-maintenance wind resistant shrubs.
Founded on the balance between cultural, technical and indigenous uniqueness, the design of the National Library of Public
Information has established a new model for future civic projects in Taiwan. (http://www.e-architect.co.uk)
Taichung Digital Library, Taichung – Taiwan 2011
The challenge faces the design team is about “re-inventing” the library space and image to suit the changing ways people use the
library in the contemporary digital age. The site of this new library lies on the strategic location of a park connected to one of the
city’s important linear green belt system. At the entrance plaza, the building recesses to form one gentle green curve on the lawn to
express a welcoming gesture to the visitors. The volume of ground floor is “streamlined” to allow maximum transparency at the
base. This fluent pattern also helps create a movement of people through the ground level of the library. With its linear window and
curved exterior wall between floors, the facade of National Taichung Library is meant to echo the vibrant context. Visitors inside the
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