The Library of the Future Is Coming To Beijing

Vincent R. Vinci, Contributing Editor | Jan 14, 2022 10:54 am | 2 comments | 614 reads

Not content with bringing futuristic vibes to the capital in the form of Wangjing's Panda Mech – did you know the eyes and parts of its mech suit light up and change colors too? – the future seems to be inching ever closer in Beijing with recently unveiled designs for the city’s Sub-Center Library.

Designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta with support from local firm ECADI, the 16-meter-tall structure will be enclosed in glass supported by massive pillars dotted around the space, all meant to resemble a massive forest topped with ginkgo leaves.

But these columns will do more than just hold the building up: each is equipped with technology to control acoustics, climate, lighting, and rainwater disposal. The columns are dispersed within the space among terraced levels of short bookshelves, seating areas, and desks that the firm says are meant to promote openness and exchange in learning.

Snøhetta aren’t strangers to library design, with the firm having designed an awe-inspiring library building in North Carolina, as well as Temple University’s Charles Library in Philadelphia in 2019.

The firm was awarded the project in 2018, and the building – which broke ground in 2020 in Tongzhou, the designated "sub-center" of Beijing as of 2012 according to the city's municipal party secretary – is expected to be completed this year.