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Maegok Library
Maegok Library
Ulsan, South Korea
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Other Projects by IDR Architects
Maegok Library
Ulsan, South Korea
Firm
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2017
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
BUDGET
Undisclosed
Maegok Library was conceived not just as a repository of books, but as a place where knowledge grows organically through curiosity, chance encounters, and emotional engagement. While many recent public libraries in Korea have fallen into the trap of over-segmenting space—creating rigid zones focused more on study than on discovery—this project resists that trend. Instead, it proposes a library that is open, interconnected, and gently vibrant, where even a hint of background noise suggests life, movement, and possibility.
Set in the growing residential district near the Maegok Industrial Complex in Ulsan, the library occupies a long, narrow plot that gently slopes along the Sincheon Stream. This topographical condition, rather than being an obstacle, became a key inspiration. By lightly adjusting levels, a continuous 1:12 ramp weaves together exterior and interior spaces, establishing a slow and fluid spatial rhythm that encourages walking, pausing, and wandering through books.
The main façade faces the stream, composed of vertical aluminum louvers inspired by the rhythm of forest trees. Defined by varying intervals, angles, and thicknesses, these louvers were carefully calibrated through multiple design studies to balance transparency, light control, and visual richness. Combined with board-formed concrete, the facade allows the library to blend into its natural surroundings while subtly evoking the complexity of a contemporary civic institution.
Inside, the reading spaces unfold over multiple levels, connected by the gentle ramp that continues from outside. This single spatial gesture defines circulation and integrates diverse programmatic zones—children’s areas, general collections, digital rooms—into a shared spatial narrative. Unlike conventional libraries that isolate user groups, Maegok Library encourages overlap and coexistence: children’s and adults’ collections merge without clear boundaries, creating moments of spontaneous interaction.
Every room is loosely attached to the central ramp like open pockets, offering a sense of spatial openness and programmed flexibility. These relationships invite interpretations the architect cannot fully predict, activating the space as a public infrastructure for shared creativity and layered experience.
At the heart of the library is the belief that reading should not only be a rational act of learning, but also an emotional, even joyful, one. Maegok Library was envisioned as a place where the pleasure of discovering knowledge is inseparable from the delight of being in a space that is calm, connected, and quietly alive.
Set in the growing residential district near the Maegok Industrial Complex in Ulsan, the library occupies a long, narrow plot that gently slopes along the Sincheon Stream. This topographical condition, rather than being an obstacle, became a key inspiration. By lightly adjusting levels, a continuous 1:12 ramp weaves together exterior and interior spaces, establishing a slow and fluid spatial rhythm that encourages walking, pausing, and wandering through books.
The main façade faces the stream, composed of vertical aluminum louvers inspired by the rhythm of forest trees. Defined by varying intervals, angles, and thicknesses, these louvers were carefully calibrated through multiple design studies to balance transparency, light control, and visual richness. Combined with board-formed concrete, the facade allows the library to blend into its natural surroundings while subtly evoking the complexity of a contemporary civic institution.
Inside, the reading spaces unfold over multiple levels, connected by the gentle ramp that continues from outside. This single spatial gesture defines circulation and integrates diverse programmatic zones—children’s areas, general collections, digital rooms—into a shared spatial narrative. Unlike conventional libraries that isolate user groups, Maegok Library encourages overlap and coexistence: children’s and adults’ collections merge without clear boundaries, creating moments of spontaneous interaction.
Every room is loosely attached to the central ramp like open pockets, offering a sense of spatial openness and programmed flexibility. These relationships invite interpretations the architect cannot fully predict, activating the space as a public infrastructure for shared creativity and layered experience.
At the heart of the library is the belief that reading should not only be a rational act of learning, but also an emotional, even joyful, one. Maegok Library was envisioned as a place where the pleasure of discovering knowledge is inseparable from the delight of being in a space that is calm, connected, and quietly alive.
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