David Hong

Apr 8, 2023

David Hong Architects takes over the Shangfeng Public Library and Community Hall located on the rural fringe of Taichung City, Taiwan . The site stands adjacent to an existing primary school requiring a library and public hall, and a school gymnasium. The project aims to form a sense of community by expanding layers of activities, natural conditions, tectonic details, and ambiances, as well as a natural continuity to the surrounding landscape expanding and embracing the plantation, trees, and irrigation channels. The construction shapes up two building units facing each other leaving an open communal square in the middle. The elongated and narrow plot distributes the built volumes at the two ends of the boundaries. The public central park serves as the region’s point of focus as well as the library’s entrance and connecting passage to the school . The square becomes the new focus as well as the new side entry for the school which knitted the new library and school even closer. Outdoor terraces, roof gardens, and ramps projecting out of the form extend the periphery of the communal square. all images by Studio Millspace The site and the school are separated by an abandoned irrigation channel, filled with native aquatic plants and habitats which serves as an observation quarter for science lessons in school. Rather than treating the irrigation channel as a site constraint, the design team utilizes the formation as the stimulus for the development of the library as well as the surrounding landscape. The channel expands as a pond enveloping three sides of the library. The body of water makes up a notional fence for the school facility without disrupting the visual continuation of the landscape. The long side of the site expands in the north-south direction exposing the buildings to the western sunlight which is detrimental to the books of the library. Thus, the construction shapes the western walls with an angled tilt and open slits and frames windows facing north to enjoy ample indirect sunlight. To combat the heat gained from the harsh western sun, buildings benefit from double-wall construction, acting as air cavities behind the brick walls for heat insulation. The incoming light takes up a pink hue as it bounces off the red brick walls. The project follows the concept of the building acting as a neutral vessel of books that stands in harmony with its natural surroundings. Surfaces of different materiality throughout the interior are painted in white, to heighten the abundance of natural sunlight. The various textures cast subtle shadows enriching the spatial depth. The library’s foyer overlooks the outdoor landscape through large north-facing windows. The opposite side forms an airy central atrium, a pivot of all zones toward the library. A ‘ribbon-like’ staircase in the open courtyard connects three floors of the library. The ground floor arranges the community living room and children’s quarter. Large windows are placed right next to the expanded naturally sculpted aqueduct. The second floor is dedicated to general reading. All open-book shelves are kept at a low height to ensure unobstructed views of the entire space. Several reading spots are distributed and defined by their immediate surroundings, ranging from relaxing sofas next to an outdoor terrace to quiet study corners. The third floor contains a multi-purpose classroom and a young adult section. These spaces are positioned on the top level connecting to a large outdoor roof garden which forms a slight incline.