BSP - Seoul Metropolitan Library

UACEG - University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria

Project idea

«Public Library with the Aim to Be the Largest and Best»

The project is a cultural facility created as part of the development of the Jeonnong-Dapsimni reconstruction zone, which is concentrated with large residential complexes and includes Cheongnyangni Station (Line 1, Gyeongui-Jungang, Bundang Line), Sindap Station (Line 2), Dapsimni Station (Line 5), Seoul National University, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Dapsimni Park, all located within a 1 km radius. To meet the demand for cultural and green spaces in the area and to provide specialized and diverse library services suitable for Seoul's status as an international city, the new public library aims to address these needs.

BIG STOREY PARK. The main concept of the building is to create a park space, as there are no green areas nearby. The building itself is a large pot that houses extensive greenery—a whole park. The protruding parts of the facade are small «pots» with trees, which provide spaces for reading and relaxation. The park visually starts "under the building," extends from below, and smoothly ascends, connecting all the floors. Each floor is like a ground floor, with access to the earth. The park spreads across the southern side of the facade, creating pleasant areas for reading and relaxing among the trees.

PROJECT GOALS:
• To expand and improve the level of public library services in Seoul and to build the best public library, fitting Seoul’s status as a global city.
• To construct a public library with open public space and GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive, Museum) space, open for use by everyone, flexibly meeting the rapidly changing society and reflecting the specialized and diverse needs of citizens.
• To create a futuristic library that reflects an ecological vision, including digital services that integrate and manage data from libraries in Seoul using modern technology.
• This is a pilot project for the city of Seoul for eco-friendly wooden construction to reduce carbon emissions, applying hybrid construction methods, including wooden structures and energy-saving, eco-friendly construction technologies.

Project description

The building is functionally divided into two parts. One part serves visitors interested mainly in museums, a children's library, a skate park, a café, and a multifunctional hall, rather than library materials. The other part is the library itself.

Access to the building is provided from four sides. One side, facing the metro station and the larger part of the city, is for all visitors. The facade housing the library faces the largest university in the city. One of the long sides opens to the neighborhood with a passage into the building’s inner courtyard, allowing the library to interact with the environment and residents who frequently visit the public spaces. Each floor has access to the park. The library area can be accessed using a library card.

The facade has a grid shape. A static facade with a strict structure is interspersed with pots containing trees. The main entrance breaks this grid. The facades of the inner courtyard are made entirely of glass to utilize as much northern light as possible for the library, also providing a view of the greenery. Visually, one floor on the facade is actually two floors inside. The protruding parts, or "pots," are half-filled with soil to accommodate trees. A visitor inside a "pot" experiences not just one plane of the facade but three sides of it. This design also increases the number of vantage points to observe the city and highlights the most important and interesting areas. The main material of the facade is vegetation.

At levels -13.60 and -10.30, there are underground parking, technical rooms, storage, and the most important room—the book archive. Access to the archive is provided by a freight elevator. The archive is automated. Each floor has a book machine. A tube system connects all parts of the library with the archive. There are also additional stairwells for evacuation on the parking levels. All floors are connected by three stairwells and escalators, with additional stairs between floors.

At level -5.50, there is a skate park and various additional rooms for this hobby, such as a shop and classrooms. There is also bicycle parking. In front of the building is an amphitheater space.

Level -7.00 is accessible only to building maintenance and staff. All storage rooms and kitchen prep areas for the restaurant are also on this floor. Archive maintenance staff are located here too, with additional access to the archive. Staff responsible for the building’s cleanliness are based here and can access any floor via a dedicated elevator. Food supplies for the kitchen and concert hall are delivered from this floor. The kitchen is connected to another kitchen area on the top floor by elevators. There is also a staircase connecting to the backstage areas.

The ground floor is at two different levels due to the terrain. The library's entrance space with information is located here. There is also a multifunctional hall connected across two floors. Upon entering this space, visitors see the park ascending through a glass wall opposite. On the other side of the library are coworking spaces. A transparent floor on the ground level allows observation of the archive in operation. Between these sides is a café with an outdoor terrace. Next to the terrace is a children’s playground, spanning two levels, making it more interesting for children and providing additional lighting to the lower level.
In the southern block of the building, there are conference and event halls, museums, a children's library with a café and play area. All floors are connected by an atrium with top lighting. The library block is also connected by an atrium containing a staircase and book tubes. The rooftop restaurant is directly connected to the park. All vertical communications also reach the roof.
On the roof-park, there is a path and a viewing platform. There is also large glazing on the roof, allowing views inside the building, down to the lower floors.

Access to the underground parking is provided from the northern part of the area via a ramp and car lifts. All spaces such as stairwells, restrooms, and office spaces are located on the northern side of the building to maximize the use of the favorable facade side by people.

Technical information

The building has a mixed structure. The underground floors are made of reinforced concrete. The main structure of the building is a grid of glued laminated timber. For horizontal stability and fire safety, the stairwells are also made of reinforced concrete. The parts protruding from the facade are made of steel to achieve a slimmer structural profile and a more elegant facade. The facade is uniform, with variations in certain sections. The glazing is made of tempered electrochromic glass for sun protection inside the building. The construction of the mezzanine floors is concealed by tempered tinted glass. The panels of the vertical elements of the facade are made of precast concrete panels, while the horizontal panels are made of fiber cement. All "pots" are made of reinforced concrete, and the entire building contains a large reinforced concrete container for soil. The entire top floor is dedicated to soil. Due to the building's length, it is structurally divided into two parts.

Documentation

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