Wuhan, China
“Going inside, certain landscape elements come together,” says Jacob van Rijs, founding partner of MVRDV.
“There is a series of plateaus that can be used for studying. The biggest one will be for the more popular areas. The higher up you go, the quieter the study and reading spaces will be, serving the needs of visitors.”
“The topography of Wuhan was an important source of inspiration: we have this idea of a horizontal view towards the lakes and on the other hand, we have this more vertical view towards the city with the high rises. This is nature versus the city, and the building is somehow focusing on this. I think this makes it an exciting place to gather,” he concludes.
Jacob van Rijs of MVRDV collaborates with Wenchian Shi of UAD for the design of Wuhan’s Central Library combining traditional and non-traditional functions with diverse study, living room, reading, and studio spaces.
This 140,000-square-metre project connects to its surroundings via three large openings that will act as visual displays of life inside the building, sparking curiosity and intrigue.
This distinctive, three-faced flowing shape celebrates the position of the “city of 100 lakes” at the confluence of two rivers and will become a new recognizable landmark for Wuhan.
The Wuhan Central Library will integrate literature, information services, as well as scientific and technological innovation, and research resources.
The new library will improve Wuhan’s public information service system, and meet functional needs in terms of reading, learning, communication, and innovation while enhancing the city’s urban economy.
The building concept takes its cues from the geography of Wuhan, celebrating the sculptural force of the rivers not only in their form but also in their interior character, spatial qualities, and materials.
It references the different heights of the surrounding buildings in their form, with three dramatic picture windows facing the city at different vantage points.
Each opening addresses a discrete view: the tallest of the three windows faces the CBD’s skyline; a low, wide window offers panoramic views of the park opposite; and a long, curving window embraces the adjacent plaza, offering passers-by a glimpse of the vibrancy inside.
The interior concept further reinforces the notion of Wuhan’s position at the confluence of rivers, surrounded by the city landscape.
The stepped terraces of books invoke the sculptural lines of a canyon, with a broad ground-floor public space that visitors can enjoy throughout the day.
Pavilion-like spaces on the terraces contain the library’s different programs and the canyon gives shape to different zones and interior experiences, with quiet reading areas, group work areas, and bookshelves as part of its topography.
The reading canyon is a pivotal space and represents a confluence of knowledge coming together inside the building.
Project: Wuhan Central Library
Architects: MVRDV and UAD
Lead Architects: Jacob van Rijs and Wenchian Shi
MVRDV Design Team: Olga Marelja, Yunxi GuoIlaria Furbetta Andrius Ribikauskas Gioele Colombo, Jiameng Li, Americo Iannazzone, Cosimo Scotucci, and Xiaodong Luo
UAD Design Team: Ge Men, Yuping Wang, Jingqiao Qiu, Hanxuan Mao, Jie Qian, Weiwei Huang, Rong Guo, and Menglu Yan
Client: Wuhan Urban Construction Group
Visualisations: Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Marco Fabri, Stefania Trozzi, Luis Moreno Perona, and Ciprian Buzdugan
