Designed by J. J. Pan & Partners, Originally envisioned as merely a replacement for the conventional Taichung National Library, the project brief eventually called for the creation of a digital library which upon completion will be known as the National Library of Public Information. The final project will aim to transcend its municipal role and become a national resource for the accessing, sharing, learning, storing and publishing digital information.
Site Context
Situated between dense development areas and the urban greenbelt, the layout of the site and the building is designed to mediate the transition with its main entrance fronting the green belt, easily accessible circulation paths, the grand steps connecting the plaza and a central court embraced by the ?L? shaped building. Furthermore, the shifting strip windows both literally and figuratively reflect the bustling flow of traffic around the site. Design Concept
The genesis of the design is the decision to directly confront the challenges and opportunities presented by the dynamic nature of digital media. Inspirations for the massing concept include the Mobius strip and Klein bottle, both of which explore solid and void, form and formless. The resulting fluid building shape, while can only be produced with the latest digital tools, is not an exercise in form. Rather it is the manifestation of interconnecting program elements and ever-changing spatial movement.Furthermore, the project seeks to acknowledge the urb...