In the Central Park of Shuangyue Bay in Pinghai City, Guangdong Province, China, stands a somewhat enigmatic building by He Wei Studio 3andwich Design. It is a library associated with a residential building. There is nothing unusual about this architectural project, neither its extremely sober design and almost ascetic purity, nor its location by the sea, nor its use as a place for reading, culture and recreation. As the architects put it, the design seeks to “integrate the cultural attribute of the library, the environmental attribute of the site and the public attribute of contemporary society”. They have named it the Water Drop Library.
Water Drop Library is located at the top of a short hill, in front of an apartment building. This location meant that its height had to be “strictly controlled” to avoid blocking residents’ views of the sea. The design combines two basic forms: the circle and the straight line. The first form, the circular, defines the main space of the building, while the second, the straight line, determines the exterior corridor that guides users towards it. Precisely at the top of the circle, the main building, an element as unusual as the rest takes centre stage: the water of a swimming pool. At the same time, the transparent glass on which the aquatic roof sits encourages one to imagine that it is an underwater library. To enter the building, you have to dive under the pool.
The geometric rigour of the circle and the straight line that dominates the exterior, gives way to a white and luminous interior, with soft and relaxing curved lines. It is almost as if we were stepping into the fluffy intricacies of a cloud. The reading space, fully glazed from floor to high ceiling and across almost 270 degrees, brings the clear sky and blue sea, without restriction, to the readers. Along the glass curtain wall, seats next to small tables encourage visitors to read quietly and rest their eyes in contemplation of the landscape. In addition to the reading area, there is a tea room, a bar and a central circular room for exhibitions, meetings and other events.
