This public library designed by the Mecanoo and MAYU architects teams is located in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan, also known as the “capital city” for being the country's capital for more than 200 years.

It is a city with great influence from different cultures, such as Chinese and Japanese, which the architects wanted to reflect in this building, but also inspired by the local culture and the tropical climate of this place.
The library, designed by Mecanoo and MAYU architects, collects not only books but also films, music, and works of art that make up the entire cultural heritage of Tainan. Examples are the Tainan Memorial Exhibition and the Japanese Collection Archive. Also, it relies on the latest technologies to make it a modern building.

It is a unique building, as it is not only equipped with the library itself, it also has a roof terrace with gardens, multifunctional spaces that serve as classrooms or workshops, and a cafeteria. On other floors, are the theater, conference room and offices for staff. Finally, it is striking that it has an art gallery and even a braille library, so it is appreciated that inclusivity is an important part of this project.
 

Description of project by Mecanoo and MAYU architects

The oldest city in Taiwan, Tainan has a rich history influenced by different cultures. There are remnants of maritime trade with Europe in the 17th century, of the Chinese Ming Dynasty and Japanese settlements from the beginning of the 20th century. The city is rich in temples, including the famous 17th century Confucius Temple with its cantilevered roofs and beautifully carved ceilings. The new library takes from this history, is inspired by the local culture and has been designed for the tropical climate of Tainan. It is home to the city's cultural heritage, modern art, music, films and over a million books, including more than 16,000 from the Japanese occupation period and of course, is equipped with the latest technologies of a modern library.

Bamboo forest

The most striking feature is the inverted stepped shape of the library. Slender columns support the cantilevers in rhythmically placed quartets, giving a feeling of weaving your way through a modern bamboo forest. The striking crown of the building is surrounded by vertical aluminium slats with carved flower patterns, which are reminiscent of the decorative latticed windows in the old town. These slats filter the light and keep the heat out. In the evening, this unique facade is recognizable from afar. The stepped building offers shelter to visitors both inside and outside and creates a smooth transition from exterior and interior. Below the cantilevers are four sunken patios for outdoor activities, with the largest accessible from the square; lectures, concerts and exhibitions can be organized here. Looking up, you can see the special finish of the awnings: champagne-coloured aluminium panels with a linear staggered relief, providing additional decorative elements to the facades. The rational construction of the library allows maximum flexibility, so that the building is prepared for future changes.

Art and books

Once inside, the double-height atrium is inhabited with a work of art by Paul Cocksedge. The installation seems to freeze the moment when white sheets of paper are blown away by the wind, symbolising freedom of thought and the pleasure of reading. Art is exhibited everywhere in the building, not just to look at but also interactive art to touch and play with. A red sculptural staircase adds an exciting element to the geometric building, intersecting all levels and is visible everywhere through the subtle wooden-slatted flight of stairs. The ground floor is spacious, transparent and warm due to the wood finish. Upon entry, you are greeted by an arrivals area and the welcome desk, a living room is also located here where you can read newspapers and magazines. Touchscreens with which you can explore the collection and a self-service point for borrowing books also feature on this level. The children's library with imaginative bookcases and an adjoining patio under the awning for outdoor play is situated below. This level is also home to a spacious study room with its own entrance, where students can study 24/7.

Heritage collection

As you make your way to the upper levels of the building, you first encounter a media library with seating and alcoves where you can watch movies, along with a library for teenagers with its own lounge. The general collection is located on the level above this. Beyond there is a floor dedicated to the heritage collection including the Tainan Memorial Exhibition, Japanese Collection Archive and books by Taiwanese authors. There are also four outdoor areas situated here, which are arranged as roof gardens, as well as three multifunctional spaces for classrooms/workshops and a cafe. At the top of the building, you will find the theatre and conference hall, along with offices for members of staff. From the uppermost levels of the building, a beautiful view of the city through the vertical slats is on display. Furthermore, the building has an art gallery, a maker space and Braille library. There is also a bookshop, so that you can not only read books, but also purchase them.

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Architects
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Project team
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Mecanoo.- Design Principal.- Francine Houben. Design Team.- Rodrigo Louro, Friso van der Steen, Rodrigo Bandini, Johan Hanegraaf, Rachel Lin, Yuli Huang, Yuanyuan Chen, Natalia Leszcynska, George Orfanopoulos, Antonio Sanna, Wanjen Lin, Yunying Chiu, Tsailing Shih, Eliano Felicio, Nienke Andersson. 
MAYU architects.- Design Principal.- Malone Chang, Yu-lin Chen. Design Team.- (SD)Ting-yi Lo, Yun-shan Huang, Che-sheng Wang; (DD/CD)Ting-yi Lo, Che-sheng Wang, Chia-ru Lin, Beatrice Cordella, Meng-yue Ruan, Qi-ping Yang, Li-chi Yeh, Ya-zhi Guo, Che-kang liu; (CA)Yun-shan Huang, Chia-ru Lin, Ting-yi Lo, Ya-yun Wang, Wei-chieh Pan, Yun Chen, Ting-yi Li, Cheng-wei Li, Chih-hung Wang, Yung-hsien Fang, Jui-pao Chan, Tien-hsi Hsu, Ya-tieh Yu, Guan-wun Chen, Yu-lun Liang.

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Installation advisor.- Frontier Tech Institute of Engineering Design & Consultant. Wayfinding.- Path & Landforms. Contractor.- Fu Tsu Construction, Shing Tai Hydro-Power Engineering.

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Client
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Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government, Taiwan.

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Area
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37,000 s.q.m. library with children’s, teenagers and general collection, exhibition spaces for modern art and heritage collection, 24/7 study room (130 seats), multimedia library, café, theatre (324 seats), conference room (123 seats), offices, multipurpose rooms, maker space, bookshop, archive, parking garage, four patios, roof gardens and a square.

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Dates
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Design.- 2016-2017. Realisation.- 2017-2020. Opening.- 2021.

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Location
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Tainan, Taiwan.

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Francine Houben (Holland 1955) began formulating the three fundamentals of her lifelong architectural vision while studying at the Delft University of Technology. It was in this crucible of higher learning that she began an architectural practice with two fellow students with the design of a groundbreaking social housing development. As a result, she graduated as architect with cum laude honours in 1984 and officially founded Mecanoo architecten with these same partners.

Francine has remained true to her architectural vision, Composition, Contrast, Complexity throughout her career. Always looking for inspiration and the secret of a specific location, Francine bases her work on both analyses and intuition. She enjoys interweaving social, technical, playful and humane aspects together in order to form a unique solution to each situation. Francine Houben combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture in an untraditional way; with sensitivity for light and beauty.

Her use of material is expressive. She is known as one of the most prolific architects in Europe today. Her wide-ranging portfolio comprises an intimate chapel built on the foundations of a former 19th century chapel in Rotterdam (2001) to Europe’s largest library in Birmingham (2013). Francine Houben’s work reveals a sensory aspect determined by form and space, a lavish use or subtle combinations of the most diverse materials, as well as planes of saturated colour. Francine’s contribution to the profession of architecture is widely recognized. She was granted lifelong membership to the Akademie der Künste, Berlin in 2010.

In 2008, she received the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Award. Honorary fellowships to the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and an international fellowship to the Royal Institute of British Architects were granted to her in previous years. The past three decades have seen her cumulative effect on the profession of architecture. Francine lectures all over the world and takes part as a jury member in prestigious competitions.

Her commitment to research and education is evidenced in her instatement as professor in Architecture, Chair of Aesthetics of Mobility at the Delft University of Technology (2000), her professorship at the Universitá della Svizzera Italiania, Accademia di architettura, Switzerland (2000) and her appointment as visiting professor at Harvard (2007). Dedication to her alma mater is reflected in generous sponsorship of the UfD-Mecanoo Award for the best graduating student of the Delft University of Technology.

Francine Houben lives in Rotterdam, a modern city where the skyline is dotted with buildings designed by world renowned architects; including her award winning Montevideo Skyscraper (2005). It was in this dynamic city that she directed and curated the First International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (2003), with the theme, ‘Mobility, a room with a view’. She has realised numerous signature projects throughout the Netherlands and Europe including Philips Business Innovation Centre, FiftyTwoDegrees in Nijmegen, (2005-2006), La Llotja Theatre and Conference Centre in Lleida, Spain (2009) and the Delft University of Technology Library (1999). Currently, she is expanding her architectural vision to other continents with the design of Taiwan’s largest theatre complex, The Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts in Kaohsiung (2014), Dudley Municipal Center in Boston (USA) and Shenzhen Cultural Center (China). In 2011 the book Dutch Mountains was released, a chronicle of Francine Houben and eight special projects in five different countries.

Francine maintains an active presence in academia and culture, regularly publishing and giving lectures worldwide. She has performed in many academic and professional capacities throughout her career, including Chair of Architecture and Aesthetics of Mobility at Delft University of Technology, visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and as director of the First International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam.

Francine has received honorary fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 2014 Francine was named Woman Architect of the Year by the Architects’ Journal and in November 2015 Queen Máxima of The Netherlands presented Francine with the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prize for her wide-ranging career. Francine was awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Université de Mons, Belgium (2017) and the Utrecht University (2016).

“Architecture must appeal to all the senses. Architecture is never a purely intellectual, conceptual, or visual game alone. Architecture is about combining all the individual elements into a single concept. What counts in the end is the arrangement of form and emotion.”

Francine Houben, architect/creative director Mecanoo Architecten.

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MAYU architects, founded in 1999 as Malone Chang Architects, later as Malone Chang and Yu-lin Chen Architects, is an interdisciplinary practice based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The studio is made up of Malone Chang, Yu-lin Chen, Ya-yun Wang.

The scope of MAYU architects’ works spans from large scale civic projects to small scale ones. The studio recognizes the importance of teamwork in the creation of architecture, while maintaining the individuality and artistry of each project. Therefore an architectural approach balancing the interdisciplinary cooperation and artistic inspiration is applied. The studio’s conception to a project avoids presumption of fixed style and dogmatism, in favor of a dynamic and organic process. The dialogue between site, context, programs, time, materials, users, and clients constantly contributes to the forming of architecture. Organizational logic of physical buildings, holistic experience of spaces, and the changing characteristics of materials are priorities of the studio.

The studio’s recent projects includes: Pingtung Public Library, Tainan Public Library, Kaohsiung American School, Beignag Cultural Center, Tainan Tung-Men Holiness Church among others.
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Published on: February 27, 2021
Cite: "Freedom and passion for reading. Tainan Public Library by Mecanoo and MAYU Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/freedom-and-passion-reading-tainan-public-library-mecanoo-and-mayu-architects> ISSN 1139-6415
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