This is the World’s Largest Reading Space

Situated in a picturesque setting of hills, trees and the Tonghui River, the building’s architecture reflects its physical location. A glass-lined façade invites nature into the reading space. Tall slender columns mushroom into flat ceiling panels shaped like gingko leaves. At the heart of the library is a curving 16-m-high forum with stepped terraces, which serve as informal areas for relaxing, talking and reading and also host seating and shelving. Carved through the centre is a valley; a meandering path that serves as the building’s main circulation route and mirrors the course of the nearby Tonghui River. Semi-private reading areas and conference rooms are embedded into the wooden hills. Book stacks and table seating are set on long flat areas at the top of the hills. This central open area is fully accessible and incorporates one of the largest book Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems in the world. The building achieved China’s GBEL Three Star, the highest attainable sustainability standard in the country. This was achieved through the use of modular components and a rationalized structural grid to reduce the building’s manufacturing waste. Roof overhangs reduce solar gain on glass façades while the ginkgo leaf columns house technology to control climate, lighting and acoustics and collect rainwater from the roof to use as irrigation. ‘The role libraries play in society and the way people use them has vastly changed,’ says Robert Greenwood, partner and director of Asia Pacific at Snøhetta. ’They are now needed to function as vibrant community spaces, enabling social interaction and knowledge-sharing.’ Monumental not only in form the establishment of Beijing City is also significant in its function. Its impressive scale, mimicking the region’s natural surroundings, transforms the space from a humble site for reading into a destination. In line with the city’s aim to vitalize the area as a hub for arts and culture, the library’s establishment not only endures its traditional role as a centre of knowledge but also supports the future growth of the neighbourhood’s goals. With space for different communal and cultural activations, the library can create synergies with the other institutional spaces to come. Plus, the inspiring setting can excite citizens to use it further reinstating the library’s cultural and social significance. Discover the latest spatial design and architecture insights on Like Frame on Facebook: Follow Frame on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: Check out our Pinterest: Subscribe to our newsletters: