Located in Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages Jinghu Campus, in Shaoxing, China, the Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages Jinghu Campus Library is considered the landmark of the campus. The whole building was completed through one-time pouring of bare concrete, and the interior design was also initiated following the theme: simplicity. All aspects of the design are streamlined to the largest extent and embody the concept of culture sufficiently. The library design as a whole could be defined by the terms such as "solemnness", "simplicity" and "elegance".

There goes the saying: “where there are books, there is the paradise.” The five-storey, cylinder-shaped space of the main hall of the library that is permeated with golden hue, and the round ceiling dotted with lights that resemble stars in the universe integrate together to turn the library into an imagery of the paradise.

The round wall of the main hall towers up to reach the round ceiling. The bookshelves in grids on the wall are thickened, effectively raising the senses of solidity and steadiness of bookshelves, as well as those of the round wall into which those bookshelves are mounted, which would extends a strong sense of solemnity - and especially a sense of sacredness, when those bookshelves are reflecting the golden light - to readers, arousing readers’ desire for knowledge.

At a cascade of wooden stairs on the first floor level are lines of cushions and some scattered small cabinets of versatility - which are movable so as to be combined in varied ways for comfortable reading and could be used as a partition or a back board when reading - to provide readers with great reading experience. Undoubtedly, that adds to the functionality of the space of main hall - after those cushions and small cabinets have been removed, the space of the fist level of the main hall would serve as a wonderful space for a wide variety of activities.

The wave design is specifically applied on the wall along the corridor around the main hall and the walls in meating rooms, not only to add multiple dimensions and a great deal of sense of dynamic state to the space, but also to convey the moral of sea of knowledge.

There is no further decoration on the wall of a reading room so as to let the stark bare concrete wall breathe a retro and quite air. An array of gray retro table lamps add to the classical touch of the reading room. These design elements all convey the design concept of simplicity.

In periodical room, elastic rubber floor that is of great sound-absorbing effect is applied to reduce the noise in reading room. The design of the ceiling applies the surface light source of linear LED, which is arranged to be in parallel with the equipment bends aside to present a beauty of order. The combination of the lighting on the ceiling and the lighting on the tables not only meets the lighting requirement of the wohle reading room but also insure the partial high illuminance for reading.

Because of the special environment of university, the materials are supposed to be highly durable and environmentally friendly. The choice of flooring material is especially difficult. After communication and consultation with many material suppliers, linoleum rubber flooring was eventually determined, a use case of which has seen a life span of over 80 years and counting, to assure a life span of at least 50 years.

From the idea of materialisation of paradise to the design concept of simplism, the design of the library blends together oriental and western design philosophies to offer the readers a wonderful reading space.

Project Specification:

Company Name (Architecture): Beijing Institute of Architectural Design

Company Name (Interior Design): Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group Co.,Ltd.

Project Name: Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages Jinghu Campus Library

Client: Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages

Status: built

Completion Date: May 2017

Project Budget: € 11.70 million

Project Location: Shaoxing, China

Site Area: 50,048 sq.ft.

Gross Floor Area: 203,610 sq.ft.

Number of Rooms/Units: 92

Building Height: 73.8 ft.

Principal Architect: Xie Qiang

Principal Interior Designer: Lu Weidong

Images/Photos Credit: Lu Weidong and Wang Hairong