Text description provided by the architects. This project is a library built on an abandoned quay by the riverside. The library is an important part of the riverside park that was converted from an industrial wharf.The purpose of the library is not only to provide a place to read books and viewing for people, but also to preserve the historical memory of the place.
The quay was constructed of rubble and concrete. It is 40 meters long and 14 meters wide. We designed a 32*14 meters steel structure which is supported by 6 reinforced concrete columns on the quay. At the bottom of the building, there is the quay space.
In the middle of the building, there is the reading room of the library. On the top of the building, there is the platform that could see the whole riverside. The rough rubble，hard steel and soft bamboo which reflect the Chinese's natural view at this moment..
Through a sloping ramp enter the library reading room. In the patio nearby the main entrance, there is a steel stair which is connected with the quay. On the other side of the building, some of the wooden steps leading up to the roof were arranged on the sloping lawns.
The interior space of the library is surrounded by three bookshelf walls. The desks are closed to the bookshelf walls.
People can see the river through the window. Inside the bookshelf enclosure, there is a ladder shape reading space. The ceiling of the ladder shape space is a bamboo device -- "The upside-down landscape". It shakes gently in the breeze. It looks like a symbol of Chinese humanistic philosophy.
