Seashore public Library, Aranya

The library is located along China Bohai Bay seashore. The design focuses on exploring the co-existing relationship of the space boundary, the movement of human body, the shifting light ambience, the air ventilating through and the view of ocean.

The design began with section. According to each room and its function, we establish various relationships between the space and ocean; to see how each space elaborates itself with ocean distinctively. The movement and memory of human body together choreograph series of experience.

Reading Area

As if giving the stage to this character of ocean, we pile up seating platforms and rise toward the back, so that everyone has an unblocking view to the stage. Toward the sea, the building is enclosed by a series of operable glass walls at ground level. On top of these pivot walls is a horizontal view window that goes across the library; it is the main framing of sea view. All the roof loads are carried by the steel trusses running above the view window. On both sides of steel trusses, we infill hand-crafted glass block masonries into wall. The wall softens the hardness of steel trusses, and smoothly changing the ambience of the building.

The half-arched roof opens and draws attention toward the sea, while the curvature allows achieving wide span in structure. Several circular openings are inserted and array on the roofing structure. They can be open to ventilate indoor air when the weather allows. Also, sunlight would stream through those narrow air passage ways, projecting light spots inside and meandering through space with time shift.

Meditation Space

The meditation space sits aside from reading area. Two slim openings are on east and west side of the room. They capture the light of sunrise and grasp the sunset illumination. In this room, a drastic roof curved pushes the ceiling down low; and above this curve, it creates a low terrace to the roof top.

Activity Room

Activity room is separated from reading area by an outdoor platform. The light well on the roof facing east and the clear story at west collect lights throughout the day from different directions. Warm and cold light overlap and tint the space simultaneously.