The competition winning proposal for the Jiaxing College Library & Media Center, designed by LYCS Architecture, seeks to break antiquated design conventions by intelligently negotiating contemporary architectural design into the traditional Chinese campus. Surrounded by rich woods and luscious water, the 42000m2 library plays with hierarchy – the hierarchy of multiple, increasingly private spaces; the hierarchy of the pace of spatial experience; and the hierarchy of introversion and extroversion. More images and architects’ description after the break.
A division between the campus and the courtyard, the library encourages public activities in the courtyard and on the roof garden while limiting excessive visual interruption to the three lobes. Instead of using the traditional circulation of straight staircases, a gently sloping ramp wraps the core creates a softer circulation experience that responds to the information-oriented architecture. Slicing the corners off of the triangular plan softens the form and allows for better utilization of daylighting.
