THE LIBRARY TO COME

Abstract

What is the library of the future? Is it merely a ‘warehouse of books’. As a vessel of knowledge and information, one of its earliest beginnings was in temples where only the elite had excess. Recalling Francis Bacon’s statement that ‘knowledge is power’, how is knowledge treated now, and how will it be treated in the future? As technology advances and is able to provide all the information we need or want, does the library become redundant? This thesis proposes that the library remains as a monument to knowledge – its value will increase ten-fold because information is rampant but knowledge is rare. It is still a warehouse of books, still a place where people read, but also a place of exchange, escape and solitude. It is a palace of knowledge that exalts.

Site: Library 2050 sits on the existing site of Ion Shopping Mall. As a counterpoint to the commercialism and consumerism that pervades, the library sits atop the existing Orchard MRT site – where pedestrian traffic is one of the densest. The library has a direct physical and visual connection to the station, a starting point and a destination for the public.

Programme: Programmatically, there is a balance of public and private spaces. Public spaces, like the four halls, are arenas for discussion, dialogue and conversation. Private spaces like the study cubicles are labyrinthine, isolating the individual. Above the library are retreat rooms, where individuals can check in for up to a few months, and the focus is on the large public spaces in between for exchange and communication of ideas.