Tsinghua University Law Library

Tsinghua University (THU) Law Library competition lasted from July 2011 to January 2012, including two rounds of architectural design for the Law School Library and master planning for Parcel B. The total building area for Parcel B is more than 50,000 sqm, among which 20,000 belongs to the Law Library. The other two future buildings on the site are a public building to the north and a business school lecture hall to the east.

The main challenge we face in designing the library is how to juxtapose and separate the two components of the program – a traditional library component and an assembly/education component, and at the same time maintain a single identity of the building. We used a double-bar typology, with the “hard” programs shelved on the bars and the public space in the center between the bars.

THU campus is populated with architectural styles from different periods. To answer to the historic context and to make its own mark, the design of the facades adopts an undulating red brick, with large, latticed openings.

Five teams, including Zaha Hadid’s London office, participated. I acted as the design team captain.