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Architects: Studio In2
- Area: 390 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Hung Yi Min
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Lead Architects: Howard Yu, William Sun
Text description provided by the architects. Long-Cyuan Elementary School is a hundred-year-old school known for calligraphy, which inspires the library’s interior design. The library space gives off a reserved and serene atmosphere, centering around the core ideas of “meaning” and “quietness.” By “meaning,” we aim to give meanings to the space and convey the design discourse: “A character should be written in one stroke; even when it is not, the lineage should not be broken,” which is inspired by cursive script in calligraphy.
Like an unintentional stroke moving through the space, from the entrance to the end. By “quietness,” we seek to create a peaceful and quiet atmosphere and guide visitors’ eyes around the space with fixed-pattern and clean-cut edges across the space. The 115-cm-high edges define a horizontal plane in the space; below the plane are bookcases easily accessible to children, and above it are all-white structures. The protruding line between the two looks like a somewhat connected-somewhat disconnected stroke written across them.
The space is equipped with various types of seating, with a desk-and-chair area in the middle and seats scattered randomly along the sides and aisles. This seating arrangement allows children to just grab a book and start reading without the hustle of finding a seat, with seats available in both open areas and quiet corners. Along with a multipurpose stage at the back of the space, all of the spatial elements are as if encircled by a flowing stroke.
The design draws inspiration from the Eight Principles of Yong and transforms calligraphy strokes into a book display. The individual display pieces come in an array of forms and shapes, enabling a versatile arrangement of books in various positions and at various heights. When the pieces are grouped together, they exhibit an aesthetic beauty akin to an art installation. Conversely, when they are displayed individually along a passageway, they give passersby a sense of flow.
We removed the dropped ceiling to reveal the floor slab, retained the original red terrazzo floor, and used oak wood and black colors throughout the space to match the floor. The straightforward concepts and shapes in the design and the fusion of new and old elements create a new connection between the library space and the school culture.
