Mecanoo and MAYU Architects+ have begun construction on the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan. The joint proposal was selected as a winner of a competition by the Tainan City Government held in February 2016. The proposal’s program hosting people of all ages, combined with its distinctive stepped façade will serve as a key addition to Tainan's cultural landscape. The design has gone through revisions with updated drawings released by Mecanoo.
The 37,000 sqm library program will be open-plan, with its perimeter expanding in size along each of the three levels. The cantilevered façade is clad with a “second skin” of vertical timber louvres wrapping around its highest floor. The slotted façade will filter light and reduce solar heat gain.
A pattern of typical Tainan window frames is transposed onto vertical louvres and represents the city’s evolving relationship with its past. The new library is a built expression of the social, cultural and traditional facets that have amalgamated to form the city of Tainan - Mecanoo.
Apart from hosting a 600,000-volume library (with a further 400,000 stored), the program will boast a variety of facilities including a children’s play area, spaces for teenagers and senior citizens, café, reading rooms, bookshop and visitor center. Keyspaces include an 180-seat conference hall and a 290-seat auditorium. A sunken plaza on the ground level acts as a multifunctional outdoor space for hosting talks, exhibitions or social gatherings.
The project is set to complete construction in 2019.
Today marks the groundbreaking at Tainan Public Library https://t.co/qfPbBsGu9Z 🤗🎈hip hip hooray!! with MAYU architects+ pic.twitter.com/wnTECRHpPw
— mecanoo (@mecanoo_) May 26, 2017
News via: Mecanoo.
