전통적인 중국식 정원과 그 주변의 건물은 현대적 사용에 적합한 도서관으로 변모하였다. 벡터 건축회사의 디자인팀은, 이곳의 중앙에 다기능 공공 공간을 배치하고 그 주변에 초목이 둘러싼 3개의 여러 작은 섹션으로 나눠진 안뜰을 두었다. 안뜰을 둘러싸고 있는 회랑은 순환 루트가 되며, 이곳을 찾는 방문객은 입구를 통해 도서관에 접근한다.
vector architects has turned a traditional chinese courtyard and its surrounding buildings into a library fit for contemporary use. the ‘suochengli neighborhood library’ is located in yantai, a port city in eastern china’s shandong province, and occupies a plot in one of the city’s most historic districts. the setting had been frequently modified over the years, and the architects were keen to preserve the building’s ‘precious traces of time’.
vector architects began by systematically restoring the site’s original architecture — including the walls, doors, windows, roofs, and flooring. the design team then divided the courtyard into several smaller sections, with a multi-functional public space at the center and three areas of vegetation at the perimeter. surrounding the courtyard, a cloister serves as the primary circulation route, while visitors access the library via a welcoming entrance that reaches out into the adjacent alley.
weathering steel, a material that complements the historic brick, stone, and tile, has been used throughout the renovation. the cloister system is supported on steel columns, with the canopy also serving as a rain gutter. the largest indoor space is the reading room, which also features an area for children. an on-site café is served by an adjacent kitchen, while, opposite, an indoor gallery provides space for exhibitions and events.
‘we believe that the architecture of our time should, in an intelligent way, reveal and reactivate the historical assets and local cultures,’ explains vector architects. ‘the library would retain both the lifestyle and pace of the local community, while serving as a practice of contemporary culture and aesthetics of modern society. within the space, where a dialogue between the new and the old would be cultivated, the energy and vitality from local communities could be stimulated, further contributing to the knowledge production and dissemination as well as space sharing.’
from designboom