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Children's Library
Photo credit: Yuchen Chao Photography

Reading Area
Pingtung Public Library Photo credit: Yuchen Chao Photography

Pingtung County, Taiwan

he Pingtung Public Library is an extension and renovation
project of an existing cultural centre, originally built in 1983
Tand located in the middle of the Millennium Park of Pingtung
City. The main objective of the transformation is to introduce
transparency and accessibility to the once hermetic building and its
disoriented landscaping.

On an urban scale, a transparent new lobby was proposed and attached
to the western side of the existing building. It turns the architectural
axis and approach 90 degrees in order to make the library face the
city directly. Instead of arriving through a series of formal boulevards
and plazas, the new approach guides visitors through the forest and
arcades before entering the library. Therefore, the architecture is more
attuned to the physical and psychological conditions of contemporary
library readers.

The new lobby consists of a parallelogram plan, and is supported by
a continuous V-shaped steel structure. Several “activity Islands” are
aligned, including a sunken seating area, a floating mezzanine, and
a pair of suspended lanterns. The expanded glass curtain walls link
the interior to the exterior, revealing the activities of the library to the
city, and vice versa.

On an architectural scale, by transforming the original entrance
lobby into a wood-lined reading room, and its three levels of compact
book storage into a bright, multi-functional atrium, the originally
fragmented and congested building becomes fluid and identifiable.
Two distinct staircases, one spiral and one stair-seating, complete the
reader’s circulation path, while providing various seating types and
opportunities along the journey. Taking advantage of surrounding
park views, an open floor plan, and natural materiality, the library
programming and furniture deployments can achieve individuality,
flexibility, and a sense of intimacy that are important characteristics
of contemporary libraries.

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