Macao Central Library | Experts highlight flexibility, inclusivity of winning project

The winning project’s interior design of the Macao Central Library

The panel of experts that judged the four proposals submitted to the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) for the new Central Library highlighted in their final opinion some of the characteristics that made Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo’s project the winning one.
In a video submitted to the IC, Karen Latimer, a member of U.K. Designing Libraries Advisory Board and a former Chair of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Library Buildings & Equipment Standing Committee, noted that she particularly liked how the project is “inclusive, open and accessible, [attracting] every citizen to visit. I also very much like the idea of the journey from the [Tap Seac] square to the top reading rooms, transitioning from busy public spaces to quieter study spaces.”
She also noted that the winning design is “a new bold design that is both contemporary and yet respects the historic context. It’s a library for all the people of Macau, whatever their age or interests, for them to use and enjoy.”
At the press conference organized by the IC to reveal the winning project, Wu Jianzhong, who is also a member of the IFLA Library Buildings & Equipment Standing Committee and director of the University of Macau Library, also noted that besides inclusivity, the project also features the flexibility of spaces, and fluency in the connection between the different spaces and between indoor and outdoor areas.
Wu noted, “Any new library needs to be built on the idea of being modern for a period of 20 years,” adding that to achieve such purpose, it must possess open spaces that can be flexible, adjusting and adapting over time to meet new demands, needs, and requirements.
“We need to make spaces be multifunctional and adaptable,” Wu said, adding that in terms of inclusivity, the project “welcomes everyone independent of their purpose to visit it. It appeals to both a child, a scholar or a researcher.”