Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior PhotographyDongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, FacadeDongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior PhotographyDongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, FacadeDongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - More Images+ 40

Yancheng, China
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Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
The three-section façade and use of materials responded to the robust image of the buildings within the government district, but also bring a hint of vitality to the whole area.. Image © Schran Image

Text description provided by the architects. Multi-purpose has become a “hit-word” in today's urban planning and construction, so has does the traditional Library. The name "Dongtai" has been used in Chinese history for over 800 years, the city adjacent to the Yellow Sea owns a long history, a deep cultural heritage, and a rising economy, as well as a strong will to build a livable environment that blends cultural and natural aspects together.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography
Aerial view of the Library at night, an urban light box and its context. Image © Schran Image
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Schran Image

The new Dongtai Library is located on the west side of Fan Gong North Road and the south side of Huang Hai Road, sitting on the main urban axis and adjacent to the city core, thus it is one of the key areas within low-development intensity area of the city. The scheme was taken over after the construction of the primary structure, however, the original design had fallen behind the age, either on facilities or the service. Therefore, although the library was rather new in the new town, it had been facing a situation of potential renovation back at the time.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
After the renovation. Image © Schran Image
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
Different lighting on different floors. Making the building volumes more distinguishable. Image © Schran Image

Traditionally, a library is a carrier of historical records and a place of cultural heritage, a building type with a particularly clear functional orientation. However, in response to the development of the times, the Dongtai Municipal Government wanted it to embody the spirit of openness of urban space, providing a wide variety of functional services based on reading, while creating a low-carbon and green quality environment. How can the library be transformed from a serious figure to a new, open, and attractive public space for modern society, and how can it highlight the relationship with the serious government buildings within the context, thus creating a dramatic effect? These are the initial questions we held for the transformation.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
The three-section façade and use of materials responded to the robust image of the buildings within the government district, but also bring a hint of vitality to the whole area.. Image © Schran Image
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography
The horizontal and vertical placement of perforated aluminium panels unifies the façade and brings out a rich metaphor. Image © Schran Image

The concept of 'Book Sail' was used on the concept of the design, signifying that books are the sails of the ship that carries the hope of culture sailing to the future of Dongtai.In addition, another design intention was to break the seriousness of the original closed façade and to enhance the permeability of the overall building façade, as well as to improve the public cognition and public character of the building through a more open façade with the support of both artificial and natural light within the context.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Image 34 of 45
Hand-drawn concept sketches: interpreting diverse usage scenarios. Image Courtesy of ORIA
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
Different lighting on different floors. Making the building volumes more distinguishable. Image © Schran Image

The façade applied a classic format of three sections, using transparent glass curtain wall, perforated pressed aluminium panels as well as curtain wall lined with sunshades respectively from the ground to the fifth level, forming three clean horizontal volumes that are minimal and pure, like books stacked at the heart of the city.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior Photography, Closet
The three-section façade and use of materials responded to the robust image of the buildings within the government district, but also bring a hint of vitality to the whole area.. Image © Schran Image

The first floor adopts a modern curtain wall system with a simple form and pure colour palette. On the second and third floors, the curtain wall is constructed using perforated aluminium panels, which cover the original façade of the building while allowing for natural light, while at the same time creating a double-layered façade with a superimposed effect and variation in reality. By controlling the extent of the perforations, a series of jumping arcs are introduced along the street façade, which enriches the visual experience and metaphorically represents the sails of a ship and an open book.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
The three-section façade and use of materials responded to the robust image of the buildings within the government district, but also bring a hint of vitality to the whole area.. Image © Schran Image

On the fourth and fifth floors are glass curtain wall boxes lined with sunshades. When the building is illuminated at night, the straight white light of the glass curtain wall and the subtle haze of the perforated aluminium panels create a halo over the building. Particularly as the library is situated in the serious and dignified administrative offices, the sharp contrasts have created a dramatic scene in the context. The variation in styles and spans appearing in the same scene enables a surreal dislocation of time and space. In the contrast between the old and the new, the light and the solemn, the two counter parts reflected each other creating a meaning of existence simultaneously, and thus envisioning a rival relationship of co-existence.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
Different lighting on different floors. Making the building volumes more distinguishable. Image © Schran Image

The interior continues the concept of the book as a sail, and well-integrated with the original building structure, the design intended to deliver a dynamic and coherent axis through the shared lobby, the circulation was tightly integrated with the media, experience and recreational functions that formed a three-dimensional corridor which organically formed a comprehensive and dynamic axis. The library is thus no longer a brutal volume in the inherent perception.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior Photography, Glass, Stairs
Different lighting on different floors. Making the building volumes more distinguishable. Image © Schran Image
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior Photography, Chair, Beam
Different lighting on different floors. Making the building volumes more distinguishable. Image © Schran Image

In regards to the programme, a book-related multi-functional programme was introduced to the ground and first level, in hopes for a vibrant public space that’s not merely for reading. The first level seamlessly connects to the outdoor plaza and the landscape, the ambiguous boundary between the interior and exterior further highlights its public purpose. Above the second level are spaces for information, reading and immersive learning, in contrast to the vibrant lower levels. The hill of the books and the roof terrace provide a richer spatial experience as well as an alternative choice for the reading activities.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior Photography
A vibrant and fun children's reading area and other reading scenes. Image © Schran Image
Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Interior Photography
A vibrant and fun children's reading area and other reading scenes. Image © Schran Image

The project has evoked a contemplation on how a public building exists in the public view:  the space and detail once again become the method, not just serving for the basic function but to provide an atmospheric scene within which the visitors can choose the purpose of use. It will be a place of freedom with enough tolerance on multi-purpose utility, it will also be a public era returned to the city.

Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA - Exterior Photography, Facade
The horizontal and vertical placement of perforated aluminium panels unifies the façade and brings out a rich metaphor. Image © Schran Image

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Project location

Address:Dongtai, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China

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About this office
Cite: "Dongtai Library Complex Renovation / ORIA" 10 Nov 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/971391/dongtai-library-complex-renovation-oria> ISSN 0719-8884

The horizontal and vertical placement of perforated aluminium panels unifies the façade and brings out a rich metaphor. Image © Schran Image

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