Gwangju, South Korea
The Metropolitan City of Gwangju asked Hong Kong-basedPLY Union architects to design the city’s main library building. The competition entry of Gwangju City Main Library by Hong Kong-based PLY Union architects creates a contemporary structure that promotes social interaction more than the passive library building of past times.
With internet, streaming platforms, and smartphones becoming more accessible, e-news, e-books, and e-magazines have arisen as the prevailing media of publications, not to mention the exchange of information via various digital social media.
The design was shortlisted for a 2021 International Architecture Award from The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Situated to the north of the Sangmu Cultural Park and south of the Gwangjucheon Streams, the City Main Library of Gwangju, together with the Sangmu Incinerators Regeneration Project will form the north gateway of the civic parks complex, which attracts cyclers from a regional bike trail along the River.
The form of the library literally takes up the shape of the site and each facade is in a concave shape to greet its neighbors and to portrait an extrovert and inclusive image.
Its main facade is orientated towards the Incinerator Plant and invites its participation.
These buildings embrace a playground with pockets of different shapes and natures for outdoor games, which also serve as stages of spectacles.
The library appears to be lifted up from the ground with an iconic projected opening tilted down on each facade serving as entrances in order to capture audiences from different orientations.
The Level 1 foyer acts as a through-way to allow the free passage of pedestrians to different parts of the site facilitating pedestrian traffic in this neighborhood.
Situated in the center of the foyer is the book storage stack which appears as a solid vertical core penetrating all floors to provide orientation to the whole library and the vertical circulation wraps around this core to direct the public to different functional zones of the library.
The stack is sandwiched by two curved wings, with physical training space at the south and cultural education rooms at the north on Level 2.
The two wings open up toward the east to embrace the kid’s library, with a grand spectator stand leading up to the main library floor on L3, with a void over the kid’s zone.
The seating stand and the kid’s open zone naturally form the internal venue for spectacle with parents overlooking kids while they enjoy reading quietly allowing a comfortable distance for the kids to stay away from parents.
The orientation of the stand also takes in the prime view of the playground and incinerator plant to the east.
The curved east facade forms a proscenium for the outdoor spectacle while it acts like a showcase displaying the library events.
The facades act as the city interface, which captures the site’s natural resource, with river and fields for the north wing and tree forest to the south with parks beyond.
The mezzanine reading floor over the main library floor wrap around the book storage stack serves the intensive readers.
There is an outdoor break-out area that connects to the roof deck with an open ramp. The incinerator plant rises from the “horizons” as one climbs up to the roof deck.
From the deck, three sitting platforms are stepped down towards the facades in different orientations. This raised deck allows undisturbed views toward the river, city parks, and the incinerator plant.
Project: City Main Library Gwangju
Architects: PLY Union Ltd.
Client: The Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City
Photographers: PLY Union Ltd.