Huariou Library

This lovely little library for the small village of Huariou on the outskirts of Beiling was created by Li Xiaodong Atelier.

On the one hand, it forms a modern programmatic, complement to a rural village by adding a small library and reading space within a setting of quiet contemplation. On the other hand, the use of architecture to enhance the appreciation of the natural landscaping qualities is really delightful.

Instead of adding a new building inside the village center, the site in the nearby mountains. A pleasant five minute walk from the village center and in doing so, a setting of clear thoughts and conscious mental switch can take the effort on the walk to the reading room.

The overwhelming beauty of the surrounding nature, required a building of this sort to be modest, so as not to even attempt to compete with nature. The building blends into the landscape through the delicate choice of materials and the careful placement of the building volume.



The choice of material is crucial in blending with the regional characteristics. After analyzing the local material characteristics in the village, the architect found large amounts of locally sourced wooden sticks piled around each house. The villagers gather these sticks all year round to fuel their cooking stoves. The architects decided to use this ordinary material in an extraordinary way, by using it as cladding for the building.
The interior is spatially diverse while maintaining an open feel. It uses steps and small level changes to create distinct places for visitors to define their own reading space. The cladding tempers the bright light and diffuses it evenly throughout the space to provide ideal light for reading, while cut outs in the cladding frame views towards the surrounding landscape.