China’s new stunning Library

The futuristic Tianjin Binhai Library, China, one part of a larger cultural complex masterplan.

MVRDV have, with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI), designed the 33,700m2 Tianjin Binhai Library as part of a larger plan to provide a cultural district for the city.

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The building acts not only as an education centre but as a connector from the park into the cultural district. An oval opening punctured through the building is propped open by the Eye, a mirrored sphere with an auditorium, which takes the main stage within the atrium and enlarges the perceived space within.

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Terraced bookshelves which echo the form of the sphere create an interior, topographical, landscape whose contours reach out and wrap around the façade. In this way, the stepped bookshelves within are represented on the outside, with each level doubling up as a louvre.

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The futuristic library sits within a sheltered gallery, topped with cathedral-like vaulted arches, which winds its way throughout the scheme. MVRDV’s project is surrounded by four other cultural buildings designed by an international team of architects including Bernard Tschumi Architects, Bing Thom Architects, HH Design and GMP.

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China’s new stunning Library (1)

source MVRDV