Gwangju Library, Public Realm, South Korea

City main library Gwangju will form a new cultural heart of the city. We believe a great cultural space comprises of a diversity of uses, quality common spaces contain ample of natural life as well as overlapping cultural activities. The design of the city main library Gwangju is underscored by a deeply considered sense of experiential delight in how they engage users with the library’s resources. Our idea stems from a principle in providing a ‘Knowledge Pathway’ that enables life for an array of common space.

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The concept of common space is a space of knowledge spillover, communication and interaction, disseminating its intellectual and visual riches to a wider audience. Therefore, the idea of common space is embedded in the ‘Knowledge Pathway’ to create a different hierarchy of interaction within the library, surrounding area and furthermore in the city scale. It is a pathway that users can experience knowledge rather than acquisition. It is not only circulation but also an element that separates and combine the spaces that is capable of generating community spirit.