All of the spaces in the library connect to this central room, offering what SOM refers to as "clear orientation and spatial cohesion." The library's floorplan has little in the way of enclosed spaces and is meant to allow for maximum flexibility in terms of configuration and furnishing. On the ground floor, visitors to the library will find a children's area as well as an exhibition space and a community meeting section. Reading rooms for teen and adult patrons, meanwhile, are located on the upper floor.
CONSTRUCTION
Pragmatic Aesthetics at Chicago's Newest Library
Pragmatic Aesthetics at Chicago's Newest Library
The brand-new public library designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) for Chicago's Chinatown is set to become a hub for civic life, learning, and community activities after opening in 2015.
28 January, 2016
The most distinctive feature of this state-of-the-art building are its aluminium "shading fins", which offers an appealing contrast to the ultra-transparent glass walls of the building and transforms the library into a glowing lantern after sundown.
The entire design of the library, from its shape to the layout of its interior, was planned in keeping with the ancient Chinese principles of Feng Shui.
At 1,490 square meters (16,000 square feet), the new library sits on prime real estate, located near the busy intersection between the established southern and emerging northern halves of Chicago's Chinatown. Shaped as a rounded triangle, the building's layout is reminiscent of a pebble and captures the Feng Shui concepts of spatial arrangements and the flow of energy. Rejecting sharp corners, the more harmonious curved edges of the building's shape match the surrounding avenues while allowing pedestrian traffic to move fluidly around the exterior.
At 1,490 square meters (16,000 square feet), the new library sits on prime real estate, located near the busy intersection between the established southern and emerging northern halves of Chicago's Chinatown. Shaped as a rounded triangle, the building's layout is reminiscent of a pebble and captures the Feng Shui concepts of spatial arrangements and the flow of energy. Rejecting sharp corners, the more harmonious curved edges of the building's shape match the surrounding avenues while allowing pedestrian traffic to move fluidly around the exterior.
Photos by Dezeen
While the glass curtain-wall around the library is made out of highly transparent glass, the 118 fins that jut out from it are made from anodized aluminium with a bronze finish. These shading fins serve a functional as well as an aesthetic purpose; by providing a permeable barrier between sunlight and the interior of the building, they help regulate heat within the building while allowing those inside the library unfettered views of the exterior. Similarly, those approaching the library from the outside will be able to see through the glass walls without having their view obstructed by the aluminium fins.
The internal layout of the library also embodies the principles of Feng Shui philosophy, with the entire building set up to revolve around a central atrium that involves a traditional Chinese courtyard.
The aluminium fins are not the only sustainable feature of the new library. The new Chinatown hub also boasts a solar shading screen to reduce heat gain and glare, a reduced need for artificial lighting thanks to the amount of natural light allowed into the interior, a green roof planted with native grasses, permeable paving that reduces rainwater runoff, energy-efficient LED lighting, and radiant heating and cooling.
The Chinatown Branch recognizes the critical role that the library plays in uniting the Chinatown community. It creates a key community anchor and an enduring cultural asset that will serve community members of all ages and accommodate diverse activities. We hope the building creates a memorable architectural statement that embodies 21st century Chinatown. We are incredibly proud of its design and its position as a library of the future in Chicago's urban fabric
Brian Lee
Design Partner at SOM
The Chinatown Public Library officially opened its doors on December 2, 2015, offering the local community its newest meeting point and an avenue for technology-based learning. The new library replaces another at the same spot, the most frequented within the Chicago library system. With its LEED® Gold certification and sustainable building design, the library is sure to act as an anchor of this Chicago neighborhood for years to come.