Can a single “eye” contain 1.2 million books? Yes, if it is the one designed by Dutch architectural firm MVRDV to house the Tianjin Binhai public library in China. The atrium of the 5-storey-high edifice is graced by a huge 3D eyeball framed by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves staggered at different levels. The curving lines of the shelving provide areas where visitors can sit and read in surroundings containing an incredible amount of culture.
The building is part of a larger complex (the Binhai Cultural Center) but with its 33,700 square meters, it is an epic work in itself.
The famous “eye” can be seen from outside the construction through an oval opening that reveals the mirrored sphere in the middle of the atrium. The fifteen meters of curving shelves that cascade around it re-echo the eye’s spherical shape, creating an interior, topographical landscape whose contours extend and envelop the façade.
The library is a futuristic paradise for bibliophiles, with reading areas, auditoriums, computer and audio rooms, where books are an integral part of the structure and create an enveloping landscape. The undulating shelving seems to defy gravity and both stairs and seats (plus two rooftop terraces) are cleverly crafted into the impressive design. And the central eye reflects everything, expanding the spaces and transforming the library into a work of art with great visual impact.
