In-Between Reading

This project begins with an inquiry into the extreme condition of library space. A library, like a warehouse or data center, is a spatial system defined by storage and organization. Across time—from storing grain to storing information—such spaces share a logic of efficiency. Their architecture is determined not by people, but by the nature of what they contain.

Site Context

The site is located in an old winery park that consists of public spaces and museums, renovated from abandoned winery factories and warehouses. The building stands at the forefront of the park, offering an opportunity to create a main diagonal axis that splits the library volume and connects the park with the city.

Design Strategy

The design strategy begins by separating the library's core programs according to their levels of public accessibility. The archive and reading areas, which require a controlled environment, are consolidated into a solid "black box" and elevated above the ground. This move liberates the ground plane to form an open plaza, extending the public flow from Park Street into the site.

In-Between Space

Beneath the lifted mass, a transitional in-between space emerges—part plaza, part threshold—where the programs most engaged with the public, such as the auditorium, office, and reception, are positioned. These functions act as spatial extensions of the library, metaphorically allowing knowledge to "leak" into the city through public interaction.

Urban Integration

The resulting composition creates a visual and functional dialogue between the grounded civic realm and the elevated archive, linking the park, street, and library into a continuous urban system. The elevated archive becomes a landmark while the ground level plaza serves as a natural extension of the park's public programming.