Building Taiwan’s most beautiful library: The National Library South Branch and National Union Catalog Center

By MOOK Travel Reporter

The results of the architectural competition for the “National Library South Branch and National Union Catalog Center” have been announced, with the “911 Architecture & Design Associates,” the firm behind the “most beautiful library in Taiwan” — Beitou Library — emerging as the winner. Their design concept, “A Great Library in a Small Town,” earned the favor of the selection committee. They will collaborate with Carlo Ratti, head of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to build the National Library’s first branch and the National Union Catalog Center.

Under the design concept of “911 Architecture & Design Associates,” Taiwan’s first circular library will be established, preserving 90% of the existing trees on the site, integrating current resources, connecting with the town via the Golden Shower Avenue, and installing a solar canopy.

The architectural team also hopes to deconstruct the traditional library “big box” into many “small boxes.” With the north-south axis of the site as a guiding line, visitors can sense learning as they move through the space, making the library not just a place for books but also a museum of life.

Along the Life Boulevard, visitors can pass by outdoor book nooks, a book museum, the catalog center, a book café, a town cinema, and a lecture hall, enjoying the fragrance of books along the way.

Director Tseng stated that the National Library assembled a judging panel for the competition consisting of renowned experts and scholars from the fields of architecture, libraries, and information both domestically and internationally. In addition to considering the actual needs of the National Library itself, the committee also focused on whether the architecture and landscape met the needs of local residents, as well as comprehensive designs for flood prevention, earthquake resistance, energy conservation, and carbon reduction.