MVRDV is not known to create buildings that blend into the background, but the Dutch firm’s latest project — a library in Tianjin, China — is one of its most mesmerizing creations yet. Nearing completion and scheduled to open in mid-2017, this rectangular glass building has an almost gravitational visual pull.
Tianjin Library is articulated around a mirrored orb at the center of the atrium, causing the building to resemble a human eye from the outside. Encased within the orb — believe it or not — is an auditorium. The overall effect is hypnotizing, reminding this reporter of nothing so much as the Eye of Sauron from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
The mirrored orb at the eye’s center reflects both the surrounding atrium and the park outside the building. The organic texture of the atrium is achieved through the imaginative arrangement of winding bookshelves that also serve as steps and seating. This terraced shelving scheme goes all the way up to the ceiling, unifying the space. Flanking the atrium on either side are five stories of more conventionally arranged reading rooms and offices. Altogether, the building contains 34,200 square meters (386,125 square feet) of usable floor space.
“The eye is the center of the library. It ‘hollows out’ the building and creates, out of bookshelves, an environment to sit, to read, to hang out, to climb and to access, to create an organic social space,” explains MVRDV cofounder Winy Maas. “In its heart is the auditorium, which mirrors the environment, giving a 360-degree panorama of the space inside; a truly reflective and pensive environment.”
MVRDV cofounder Winy Mass describes the atrium as a “truly reflective and pensive environment.” This diagram illustrates the firm’s vision for how visitors will use the space.
Tianjin is the fourth largest city in China and MVRDV’s library is just one part of a larger project to create a new cultural district for the growing metropolis. The masterplan for this project is being overseen by the German firm gmp. The new library will be a central part of Tianjin’s rejuvenation, linking the burgeoning neighborhood to an adjacent urban park and providing a gorgeous facility for various cultural and educational events.
All images courtesy of MVRDV