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The library at the heart of DKU’s campus stands as a welcoming landmark, featuring sculptural massing that forms a distinctive cantilevered reading room and a roof garden. The reading room elevates the act of study as a visible attribute of the building, while the garden extends learning beyond the interior and promotes outdoor learning and collaboration. The design supports the university's liberal arts philosophy by intentionally avoiding isolated departments and integrating classrooms and academic advisory areas. Underscoring a commitment to harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, the library is not only LEED-Gold certified but also features bird-strike-resistant designs on all glass curtain walls.
The new library, situated at the intersection of the central axis and the university's main entrance, serves as a connector between the two phases of the campus. Its ground-floor gallery, becoming a part of students' daily passage, enhances campus accessibility, integration, and liberal arts education. Offering expansive views on all sides, the library allows students to enjoy various beautiful campus scenes while studying. The third floor features a rooftop terrace, expanding the reading experience from indoors to outdoors. The library's cantilevered structure makes it a distinctive landmark in the campus. Its outwardly extending reading spaces blend seamlessly with the landscape. At night, the overhang lights up like a lantern, showcasing DKU’s atmosphere of learning.
The library has achieved LEED Gold certification. Its design, balancing natural light with energy efficiency, incorporates strategies like self-shading and vertical shading to enhance visual appeal while supporting a low carbon footprint. The library's skylights feature motorized shades, optimizing light and reducing air conditioning usage. LED lighting throughout the building is managed using energy-saving techniques such as zoning and dimming. Greywater is efficiently recycled for various uses. Due to concern for biodiversity and conservation, patterned frit is applied on façade glass, to reduce bird impact risk and to shade the interior spaces. Every detail witnesses the design effort for a built environment harmony with nature.
The building redefines library concepts by combining learning, communication, art appreciation, and nature in its design, reflecting a vision for the future of academic libraries as both a place for a physical collection of books and a center for academic collaboration. The library supports learning everywhere with its diverse indoor and outdoor study areas, catering to flexible student needs. The first two floors focus on learning and teaching, while the upper levels feature reading and multimedia zones. Advanced facilities like maker spaces, print workshops, and music/data visualization studios enhance the overall learning experience. The main atrium, with its flowing vertical design, seamlessly links various areas, promoting unity and belonging. Natural light from a large skylight creates a bright, inviting space. The open, cantilevered staircase serves as a visual centerpiece, a key circulation route and a social hub. To further integrate with nature, a roof garden is invited at L3. Here the western landscape nicely ties with the oriental teahouse. Breeze comes in through the wood partition, merging the boundary of spaces and cultures. It creates a peaceful, zen-like region, helping to regain spiritual concentration. The library's design also focuses on connectivity: linking people, functions, and different campus areas, as well as bridging cultures, creating a unique sense of place.
Two 'books,' elegantly overlapped and slightly staggered, create a serene yet profound image that is people’s first impression of the library. Designed with user needs in mind, the library hosts 25 types of learning spaces with various environments to foster a sense of belonging. The library is an ideal venue for hosting a variety of events—exhibitions, displays, and diverse experiences in music, art, and technology. These initiatives establish it as a central hub on campus for activities.
Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Architizer named Perkins&Will the world’s “Best Sustainable Firm” in 2023, and Metropolis named it “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction.
