POC+P architects: Daegu Gosan Public Library

The library design unashamedly embraces books as an enduring tool of knowledge transfer. Just as the medium has evolved from cuneiform on clay tablet, from roll to codex, from papyrus to vellum, from printed paper to digital tablet… the form may change, but the purpose – the free exchange of information – is enduring. accordingly, patrick o’carrigan + partners have designed floor plates that are not hard-wired; that can and will be something else tomorrow.

A disciplined solution, it has a simple, elegant enclosed form that suggests an interior life to be revealed. open space in daegu is at a premium, and the siting of this 3100sqm library within an existing green space requires a sensitivity to the context. thus the library form is treated as a pavilion in an urban forest, and its generous presence animates and anchors this corner within the diverse city grid of daegu.

Visitors first discover the library pavilion as a quiet, warm object in the city – illuminated from within. from the street, it is a garden oasis, an immediate change of pace from the vibrant city. the main entrance, protected by a cantilevered canopy, provides visitors with both a visual connection and access to the side garden with urban seating.
 
To enter, visitors traverse a direct path above the verandah, through an air-lock sanctuary to arrive at the reception. with staff support and administration on the west, from this point, they are directed to reading areas, resource areas and exhibition/education classrooms with increasingly intimate spaces with finer layers of zonal activity. a variety of bright, open, technologically rich spaces, digital support, and librarian services promote life-long learning and help foster a culture of collaboration and creativity, with every floor offering its own personality and unique spatial experiences.
 
As in the traditional korean courtyard house the most significant ground level space is the central timber floored amphitheatre at: permeable, open and light, a series of reading and lounging platforms tier down to basement level exhibition spaces for temporary displays.
 
A central library chamber floats shrine-like above, and there is a sense of moving into a special realm. cloaked in white birch lumber and warm colours, the two-storey wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling stack is the heart of the library, protected by and protecting its users. this core is sturdy and solid, nourishing its users and offering a quieter and more contemplative space within.

The façade of the pavilion is an elegant lightweight ‘wrap’ of vertical fins in korean birch that shelters the core and its users. with an additional layer of glazing, the double skin façade acts as a thermal buffer in winter and summer and allows for stack ventilation. the external open timber slats allow for filtered light and shading, folding back onto itself at select points to mimic a series of traditional folding screens (chaekgori). the dynamic transparency and playfulness of the façade layers opens the building’s activities to street life.

The proposal is driven by strong principles of environmental and sustainable design: one simple compact volume oriented to the four cardinal  points reduces the perimeter façade, enabling shallow floor plates, maximising available natural light and minimising footprint. concrete framed construction uses a renewable resource, reduces the need for site disturbance and significantly reduces the number of concrete piers required, therefore limiting ground disturbance in the sensitive urban area.

The design and layout of the building reduces energy consumption by maximising access to natural ventilation and providing excellent penetration of natural light to library spaces without damaging the condition of books. a korean passive ventilation system inspired by the haesina – which utilises slatted windows for cross ventilation and preservation of books – is adapted in the library, with low-level controllable louvres for inducing cross-ventilation.