Daegu Gosan Public Library
Daegu, South Korea
The concept for the Daegu Gosan Public Library started with a simple idea: that the library and the public park could share a space in the city. The new library does not replace the park - it is a park and the park is the library. They are both gathering spaces, social containers, conversational places and study corners. The park is lifted onto the library platform and becomes a path into the neighborhood.
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The lobby might be a stopover between the bus, picking up the kids and shopping. It is the place for the chance encounter and for quiet learning. Classes and happenings can be viewed from the street, and the library becomes an activity hub during and after its hours of operation. Its information desks and kiosks are dispersed throughout the building and the park for visitors to quickly check the archive index or listen to a podcast.
The concepts and details of the project provide the grounds of an appropriate, responsive resolution to often complex and conflicting requirements. Sensitivity to context, an understanding of light, make use of responsive material properties, an understanding of the social/psychological impact of space, and meet long-term sustainability criteria. The book, the tablet, the computer and the conversation share this light filled library in equal measure. Each is a tool for the visitor.
The building’s open design invites guests to participate in the community; the reading rooms nestle in the tree tops and offer views to the mountains that surround Daegu. The library is designed to be an eco-friendly facility, operating on geothermal energy using solar shading/performative orientation to contain related energy costs for heating and cooling. The design makes use of water catchment systems, daylighting sensor controls, the elimination of volatile organic compound materials, and graywater treatment technology.
Drawings & Sketches
Basement Floor
Third Floor
Ground Floor
Fourth Floor
Second Floor
