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.
Mecanoo Wins Competition to Design Tainan Public Library
Mecanoo architecten and MAYU architects+ have won a competition to design the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan. Their winning design "represents the meeting of cultures, generations and histories," says the architects. It will feature an inverted stepped facade that houses reading rooms, special collections, study spaces, a children's area, café, conference hall, a 200-seat auditorium, and public courtyards.
