The proposal for the Daegu Gosan Public Library competition, designed by École Architects and AAKAA, consists of a massive cubic construction, in stark contrast with the surrounding cityscape. The singularity and unexpected nature of this landmark building is legible at once, without, however, bearing the trace of any logo, or distinctive sign of its function. It is its absence of obvious identity – its apparent neutrality and slickness – that consecrates it as a singular landmark. The library projects no further identity than its mass. More images and architects’ description after the break.
From the outside, the library stands out by its dimensions (34.5 m x 34.5 m x 34.5 m), its sharp edges, and the rupture it generates with its surrounding. The building’s cinder block façade is by-and-large blind, with the exception of the entrance. The façade reveals nothing of the building’s interior. It is the simplest expression of the space it contains.
