3andwich design’s circular ‘water drop’ library opens toward expansive sea views in china

‘water drop’ library by 3andwich design in Huizhou City, china

 

Atop a lush hill in Huizhou City, China, 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio built a white circular library with expansive views of the sea. Dubbed ‘Water Drop Library’, the project adopts a bold geometric character, presenting itself as a striking round volume with a long straight corridor welcoming visitors in. Transparent glass surfaces provide guests with a sense of suspension, while dramatic interiors with lighting contrasts add to the poetic character of the building. The roof presents a bowl-shaped roof inside which a pool makes the structure feel like an underwater library. 

all images by Jin Weiqi 

 

 

a tortuous path to the mountain of books 

 

The starting point of the 3andwich’s design was the site. The structure is embedded in the hill, blending in with the surrounding landscape and acting as a link between humans and the environment. The architecture presents a poetic narrative while the geometry depicts abstraction as an artifact. Because the structure is built on a hill, the design forms a tortuous path also called the ‘path to the mountain of books’. ‘Readers need to step up and understand the pain of learning,’ the architects explain.

 

The volumetry attempts to create poetic tension: from above, the geometric appears to be a dynamic combination of a circle and a straight line. The main structure of the building has a circular plane, and the straight line is the outdoor corridor and long wall that leads people from the top of the hill into the building. The entire library is white, with the edges of the corridor, long wall, and roof emphasizing the geometric composition which attracts the attention of users and leads them to the direction of the roof pool and the sea.

 

 

diving into a journey of self-discovery

 

According to 3andwich Design, entering the building is a journey to re-discover nature and oneself. To access the library, visitors proceed down the corridor and ‘dive in’ to the main space located directly beneath the pool. As a result, guests have the impression that they are inside an underwater structure.

 

The interior features a number of dramatic rooms with light and dark contrasts, as well as an intriguing spatial play between open and closed spaces. The first scene upon entering the building is the porch at the end of the outdoor corridor, which presents itself as a relatively narrow transition space with a meditative character. Guests enter the circular space in the middle of the building by turning left from the porch. This room accommodates the reading area, while it can also house small exhibitions. The extended glass openings offer striking views of the sea and the surrounding natural environment. 

 

 

relaxing reading room overlooking the natural scenery

 

The indoor tone of the reading area is mainly white, light gray and other bright colors, and the curve shape is used to create a relaxing atmosphere. Seats and small tables are placed along the outer glass curtain wall, where readers can read quietly and overlook the scenery. The bookshelves are arranged in a ring along the inner wall and extend outward in the ceiling and ground areas to form a cloud like shape. The part extending to the ground also becomes a free reading area, where some readers who do not want to sit upright can enjoy the afternoon time with books here, leaning or lolling.