Silver A' Design Award Winner 2024
Within HSIANG CHEN LU's Elementary School Library, the symbolic language of the forest operates as primary architectural metaphor, with the undulating timber canopies functioning as archetypal sheltering trees whose protective crowns create sacred space for intellectual growth and imaginative development. The tree-form columns with their ribbed vertical elements invoke ancient associations between trees and knowledge, echoing traditions from the World Tree Yggdrasil to the Tree of Knowledge, establishing the library as a contemporary sacred grove where young minds encounter wisdom. The warm amber and golden tones of the timber surfaces carry connotations of warmth, nurturing, and natural abundance, creating chromatic associations with sunlight, honey, and harvest that suggest nourishment and plenty. The circular and organic forms throughout reject the rigid orthogonal geometries typically associated with institutional control, instead proposing through curvilinear softness an architecture of embrace and invitation. The climbing element in teal introduces symbolism of ascent and aspiration, the physical act of climbing becoming metaphor for intellectual advancement and the elevation of understanding. The inscribed text encircling the canopy edge transforms architectural surface into scroll or book page, making literal the metaphor of architecture as carrier of cultural knowledge. The layered ceiling forms with their multiple horizontal bands suggest geological or arboreal growth rings, introducing temporal symbolism of accumulated wisdom and patient development over time. The integration of intimate reading nooks within the grand spatial volume creates threshold spaces, liminal zones between the individual and collective experience of knowledge. The material honesty of visible timber surfaces, their grain patterns and warm coloration, invokes authenticity and natural truth, positioning the library as space where genuine discovery unfolds within an environment of material integrity and biophilic harmony.
An eco-friendly elementary library built with recycled wood, ample natural light, and a focus on knowledge and culture. Recycled wood creates a healthy environment while reducing energy consumption. Abundant natural light inspires learning and creativity. The versatile space includes reading areas, interactive zones, and cultural exhibits. Join us in this extraordinary library, where knowledge and culture flourish for children's growth.