PINGHE BIBLIOTHEATER, OPEN ARCHITECTURE
READING BETWEEN THE LINES ‘Pinghe Bibliotheater’ is the core of OPEN Architecture’s latest project. A library, theatre and a black box interlock together like a Chinese puzzle to form this characteristic building that some call ‘the blue whale’, while others see it as an ocean liner. The unique form of the building and the free-flowing spaces not only cultivate students’ interests in reading and performing, but also encourage their imagination to roam freely in the ocean of knowledge. OPEN ARCHITECTURE
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he Bibliotheater abuts an important corner of this villagelike school, at a junction where a major city highway and an ancient canal also meet. The slanted roof with spiky skylights, ship porthole-like round windows, and eye-catching blue colour leave a strong impression on passers-by. FC&A – MARCH – 2021
When OPEN Architecture was given the extensive programme of a new school for 2000 students aged between three and 18, the firm’s immediate thought was how dreadful it would be for a child to spend so many years fixed in one building. The practice decided to break away from the current trend of schools as megastructures. Instead, the original 16
programme was deconstructed and grouped into smaller and distinctive buildings, forming a village-like campus. The marriage of a library and theatre came from the architect firm’s belief that the act of extensive reading and thinking, and the act of expression through performances, should be critical components of education but are often ignored in test-driven educational systems. The distinctive qualities of these two programmes and the respective physical needs came to inspire the design of the building.
Above and below The proscenium theatre and the black box, which require the least natural light and the most acoustic isolation,
