Source : Indian Express
This futuristic eye-shaped library in China has a huge collection of books and novels that have been placed in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a five-storey high space building.
In a dream come true for bookworms, the Tianjin Binhai Library shaped like a giant eye is now a reality in China. The public library has been built in the new cultural district by a Dutch firm MVRDV. A huge collection of books and novels has been placed in huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a five-storey high space building. The library is built in such a way that the different levels of the building look like an eye socket. The centre of the auditorium has a huge spherical glowing auditorium that forms the pupil of the eye-shaped library.
The futuristic library has curved lines that also act as bookshelves arrayed on either side of the sphere and the stairs can be used as a seating area too.
These contours also continue along the two full glass facades that connect the library to the park outside and the public corridor inside, serving as louvres to protect the interior against excessive sunlight whilst also creating a bright and evenly lit interior.
MVRDV revealed that the five-level building also contains extensive educational facilities, arrayed along the edges of the interior and accessible through the main atrium space.
The public program is supported by subterranean service spaces, book storage, and a large archive. From the ground floor, visitors can easily access reading areas for children and the elderly, the auditorium, the main entrance, terraced access to the floors above and connected to the cultural complex.
The first and second floor has reading rooms and lounges whereas the upper floors have meeting rooms, offices, computer and audio rooms and two rooftop patios.
“The library, located adjacent to a park, is one of a cluster of five cultural buildings designed by an international cadre of architects including Bernard Tschumi Architects, Bing Thom Architects, HH Design and MVRDV. All buildings are connected by a public corridor underneath a glass canopy designed by GMP. Within the GMP masterplan MVRDV was given a strict volume within which all design was concentrated,” said MVRDV in a statement.
