Name of the Library: Kaohsiung Public Library Siaogang Branch
Parent Organisation: Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government
Street Address: No.365, Boxue Rd., Xiaogang Dist., Kaohsiung City 812, Taiwan
Postal Address: 81267
Telephone : +886-7-8024310
Web Address: http://www.ksml.edu.tw/lib/content/index.aspx?Parser=1,46,466,460
Library Email: libh2@mail.ksml.edu.tw
Type of Library: District Library
Population served:156,292
Project Type: New Building
Size (square metres):3319.43
Date of Completion:12/11/2010
Architect: Jian-Ming Zhao Architect
Description
Under the theme of “Reading in a Forest”, the Siaogang Branch is not only a breathable library but also a Gold-grade green building.
Design Concept
A homelike library
A large community study: living-room-like reading space
While a library mainly functions as a book collection center, it is also expected to offer comfortable reading spaces in catering to the changing relationship between people and books.
The recent development of digital archives and e-books has had a significant influence on the operation of a library. Now, libraries do not merely serve as a place for book collecting, but also are becoming a place for integrating community reading, culture promotion and school information. Therefore, it is important to create “the ambiance for reading” in a community library, where people can sit, ponder, discuss and see the sights. Reading thus becomes a carefree life attitude and a starting point for happy learning.
As a result, to make the relationship between people and books more user-friendly, different designs are created in the Siaogang Branch for different reading behaviors such as browsing, reading and studying. Thanks to the search screens in the shelves and chairs by the sides of shelves, the collection area and the reading area are no longer separated, but rather designed in combination. The design is aimed at different reading behaviors and bringing people and books closer.
A library in the woods
Design concept of the “three-dimensional forest-like reading space”
The design concept “Reading in a Forest” includes the entire building and each reading experience. “Landscape terrace” and “view borrowing” turn reading in the library into travelling in a lush-green forest.
The east-side latticework shade heavily expresses the design concept “forest-like reading space.” Large French windows make the wall transparent, and smartly integrate the library with the surrounding landscape, making people unknowingly walk into a forest of books.
Light thus casually scatters on the floor, bookshelves and visitors, making visitors feel like leisurely reading in the shade. Owing to the poor sight of a metal factory on the south side of the library, a landscape terrace and a horizontal shade were created to borrow new scenery. The public facilities, such as restrooms and stairs, are located on the west side to lower the heat load.
The interior integrated with the exterior
The key of the library design lies in its integration with the surrounding landscape. With the architectural skin serving as a medium, the correspondence of reflections on the outdoor polished homogeneous tiles and the indoor latticework and shade makes the interior checkered with the exterior.
Family reading space
The reading habit should be cultivated in childhood. Most residents in Siaogang are blue-collar workers. The Siaogang Branch has the largest family reading space among all the branches of Kaohsiung Public Library. Reading corners and the magic tree house are also provided to create excellent family reading space.
An energy-saving and sustainable library
Sustainable architecture: Cladding for buildings corresponding to the subtropical climate in Taiwan.
Cladding for buildings is not only the main interface of the indoor space, but also the key to sustainable architecture. Carefully-designed cladding for buildings can minimize the indoor energy waste and facilitate indoor natural lighting and ventilation.
Considering factors such as each vertical shade, heat load of the roof, ventilation, lighting, illuminance, and so on, the building project of the library won the Gold-grade Green Building in eight indicators.
Awards, case studies, further information
2011 17th Yuan-Yie Award
2012 1st Kaohsiung Green Building Award
2013 7th Best Practice Green Building Award
2015 Reading Award from the Ministry of Education
1001 Libraries to see before you die 