Kaohsiung Public Library in Singuang Boulevard, City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Mecanoo Architect

The Cultural Square

The Kaohsiung Public Library is a new state-of-the-art multimedia research, study and entertainment space that allows for maximum flexibility. Visitors experience public spaces together at an exhibition or show, or they can “get together to be alone” to read or study. Mecanoo’s response to the design competition comes in the form of a singular building, designed as a garden, which emerges on the site in the shape of a monumental ‘green’ cube.

Cultural Square Day View

• Architect: Mecanoo Architect
• Description: Library and theatre complex with reading rooms, conference facilities, book store, exhibition space, open air theatre, underground parking, public plaza and outdoor space, sedum moss roof, parking garage.
• Client: Public Library of Kaohsiung
• Project address: Singuang Boulevard, City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
• Scale: 38.000 m2 
• Competition: 2011

It is an open building and comple­ments the ongoing development of other cultural destinations around Kaohsiung Harbour, such as the Pop Music Center, the Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Software Technology Park. Shops, with a direct relationship to the library, are located on the lower ground floor and make the library a modern destination place for the citizens and visitors of Kaohsiung.

Cultural Square Night View

Library Garden and Deck

A grand deck forms the main element of the library garden. Elevated from the street level, it provides a safe buffer zone between the inner garden and the busy urban fabric surrounding the site. The organic shape of the edge offers smaller, intimate spaces that are used for various activities. The transparency of the lobby, located on the ground level of the building, preserves the unity of the garden and creates a direct connection between indoor and outdoor space. Outdoor spaces become an extension of the interior and allow for maximum flexibility through movable seats, sunken plazas, quiet zones, as well as study tables for group meetings or gatherings. The use of soft material for the ground allows water infiltration and collection to be reused for irrigation.

Birdview of Library

Micro Climate

Surrounding, tall buildings and a grand pergola generate shade on the ‘library garden’ and provide a respite from both the sun and the hectic pace of the central business district. The garden, the outdoor room of the library, is a single open, green space and offers different spaces for activities as described above, plus 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.

Shops

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Tags: City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Category: Library

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