Visit China’s most beautifulLibrary : Amazing curve design
Hello! Today, I’ll take you on a tour of Tianjin Binhai Library. As the Chinese New Year is approaching, there are some stalls set up nearby, preparing to sell New Year goods. This is the Binhai Cultural Center, consisting of a science museum, library, and art gallery.
I’m now at the entrance of the library, and the signs at the entrance are quite chaotic. From the outside, it looks like a giant eye. The designer originally wanted to create a mirror-like reflection in the middle sphere.
However, this plan was rejected, and the current sphere is made up of an LED display screen. Reservations are required to enter the library, and you can make on-site reservations. I’m inside now, and it’s quite impressive. This sphere is a spherical screen composed of 400,000 LED beads.
I heard that you can watch movies inside the sphere, but it’s not available today. These stairs lead directly to the second floor. The internal curves are very impactful, and the visual effect is excellent. You can climb to the platform above to read books, and there are many railings for protection.
There are no books on the high shelves; they are all printed images. From a distance, it looks like there are many books, but actually, there are some books on the lower shelves. Here, you can see that outdoor light cannot enter, causing poor lighting in some areas.
So, there are areas where it’s not possible to read due to the lack of light. Observing this space from different angles provides different experiences. The entire space is indeed very interesting. It’s now 3:30 in the afternoon, and the lights are on. With the lights on, the entire space looks much more transparent.
I’m not sure how to repair the broken lights, but it seems that many lights are not working. Now, the sphere is starting to display some images, but the brightness is quite low. The images displayed on the sphere are really ugly; it seems like random videos without dedicated filming.
I’m now at the entrance to the second floor. I’m going to explore the internal reading space now. From here, you can enter the reading space. There seem to be few books here, and they are not specifically categorized. This area connects to a calligraphy and painting exhibition hall, showcasing works by some teenagers.
Here is a juvenile reading room, mainly for primary and middle school students. I’ve taken the elevator to the third floor; it’s a very quiet reading space here. The books and reading experience here are much better than on the lower floors. I’m now visiting the children’s reading room.
The children’s reading room is quite spacious and equipped with basic facilities. I’m now on the fourth floor; this is the periodical room. There are many types of periodicals here, all in Chinese. The fourth floor is quite spacious because the hall is hollowed out, and it’s only 1-3 floors.
There is another reading room here, but it’s not open. I’m now on the fifth floor, the highest point here. The fifth floor has a lot of empty space because hardly anyone comes to the fifth floor. A group of people is having a meeting here; the fifth floor has some offices.
It’s now evening, and I’m outside the library. From the outside, the interior space still looks very impressive. At night, the interior looks quite empty, lacking the afternoon’s light ambiance.
Today, I visited the Tianjin Binhai Library in China, a striking architectural marvel once acclaimed by Time magazine as one of the world’s must-visit places. Known for its unique design and visual experience, the library has become a hotspot for photographers seeking to capture its beauty. However, despite its captivating exterior, those who come here to read face some challenges due to certain design flaws.
The initial design aimed to house 1.35 million volumes, but in reality, it accommodates only 300,000. Insufficient lighting poses a challenge, making prolonged reading almost difficult. The library was envisioned to evoke the feeling of a mountain of books, but in reality, only the bottom floor holds physical books, while the upper levels are adorned with printed images. If actual books were to be placed, the organization and reading experience could be problematic.
This library stands as both an outstanding design achievement and a place facing challenges and controversies. In this video, I’ll take you through the library entrance corridor, explore the interior design, and showcase how the library transforms in charm during the nighttime.
Video timestamps:
00:00 Preview
00:48 Library entrance corridor
02:35 Entering the library
06:03 Hall with lights on
10:09 Second-floor reading room
20:44 Exploring the top floor space
22:50 The library at night