Library of the Department of Architecture Chulalongkorn University 'Technology Labyrinth' in a square box

In the near future, will we still read paper books or need a physical library space? How will people use the library differently as lifestyles change and the channels through which we access information and knowledge have been transformed by the internet? This project explores the new possibilities of the library. Libraries today may still play an important role as learning spaces, but they can no longer be what they once were. There is an urgent need to rethink what a learning space is, and especially what a learning space in an architecture school can become. To revitalise the library, the project expands the meaning of the architecture library, making it a space not only for reading books but also a creative incubator for architecture students. Diverse functions are integrated into the new library, ranging from co-working space and exhibition space to a pin-up area for occasional lectures, making the library a place for the exchange of ideas. It includes not only physical books as sources of knowledge and inspiration but also digital media, films and exhibitions. On the ground floor of the library, a three-dimensional grid system wraps the co-working space, providing students with a flexible, hive-like environment. The project is a renovation of the Faculty of Architecture library at Chulalongkorn University, turning a traditional book repository into a creative incubator. It is a demonstration of how a school library can respond to the digital age by combining books, digital media, exhibitions and co-working in a single loft-like space. The grid structure of the interior makes the library itself an architectural model, encouraging students to treat the building they are in as part of their design education.