Project- Daegu Gosan Public Library, South Korea
Year- 2012
Type- Open International Design Competition
Principal Design Architect- Ooi Yin Mau
3d rendering- Darren Kennedy

The Site
The site allocated for new Daego Gosan library is sat on a dividing gap between a residential and a commercial zone; to keep the balance of respect to both sides of its neighbours, a dual-frontage building is proposed. New library simultaneously acts as a “wall” and a “bridge”; it divides and connects private and public zones, suggesting a place where our inner realm interacts with the sea of knowledge out there. The building has a deeper set back from 10m road to give more breathing space from the heavy traffic. Open space to the front will be softened with greenery that blended with its existing park to the north.

The building
The building form of proposed Daegu Gosan Public library is inspired by a simple act of flipping a book, as a way of paying homage to one of the best companions human have for thousand years. An organic shaped building form is designed to response to the radical change of the role of library since the arrival of digital age. The disintegration of the linear edges of a rigid box reflects a boundary-breaking knowledge sharing experience globally among the ordinary people in 21st century, which is beyond nations and unprecedented in human history. At a regional context, the library’s appearance is perceived as an emblem of social, cultural and technological transformation that gradually revives this part of South Korea.

Sustainability Issues
The library is designed to use less energy through energy reclamation resources. Building block is orientated in such a way that at any given time of the day, natural sun light can be obtained at different parts of the library, including the basement. Building façade will be integrated with photovoltaic glass and double glazed insulating glass, which simultaneously generates energy, maintains the climatic conditions of the building while reducing its energy consumption. A passive air cooling system is incorporated to optimize the energy performance and maintaining comfort of the internal spaces. External skin of the building is well insulated and largely enveloped with eco cladding system to minimize heat loss during the winter. The use of sustainable and recyclable building materials will ensure a low maintenance in long run and provide a long term cost and energy saving plan.

Programme & Accessibility issues
The Library is designed to invite public participation regardless of users’ background. Ground floor is seen as an extension of an external street, connecting east and west ends of the building. Open plan strategy reflect a transparent world in which the world’s knowledge been share today. Every single space will be linked to central atrium.
A basic principle of disabled accessibility plan has been incorporated into the building design to ensure an easy access, usage and escape. These include the provision of disabled car park, access and escape routes, turning circle along the access routes, disabled refuge area, disabled and ambulant disabled toilets, lift and staircases etc.