Winning Design of 'Pyeongtaek Jungang Library' Competition: 'AQUA FORUM ? THE HEART OF PYEONGTAEK'

Joint Submission by Seonjin Engineering Architects & Associates and Yi Architects Seoul
A 9,050㎡ Library to Be Built in Godeok New Town

On the 4th, Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province announced that the winning design for the 'Pyeongtaek Central Library,' to be built within the Godeok Internationalization Planning District, was selected as 'AQUA FORUM ? THE HEART OF PYEONGTAEK,' jointly submitted by Seonjin Engineering Architects & Associates and Yi Architects Seoul.

A bird's-eye view of 'AQUA FORUM ? THE HEART OF PYEONGTAEK,' the winning design of the international design competition for 'Pyeongtaek Central Library.' Provided by Pyeongtaek City

The competition, conducted as an international design contest, attracted 52 teams from both domestic and overseas. The city conducted a second-round evaluation among five teams that passed the first round, ultimately confirming the winning design.

The winning design reinterprets the meaning of the place name 'Pyeongtaek' in a modern way, centering on the water plaza (AQUA FORUM) as the 'heart of Pyeongtaek,' envisioning it as the city’s living room where all Pyeongtaek citizens can enjoy staying. The city also evaluated that the design embodies a high level of humanistic architecture by integrating the archetype of a reflective library with elements from Paengseong-eup Guesthouse and Haeinsa Temple’s Janggyeong Pango.

The Pyeongtaek Central Library will be constructed on a 20,000㎡ site at 2687 Godeok-dong, within Hambaksan Central Park in the Godeok Internationalization Planning District. It will have a total floor area of 9,050㎡, spanning from one basement floor to four above-ground floors. The total project cost is expected to be 50 billion KRW.

The library will be equipped with a materials room capable of housing 340,000 volumes, an open storage area, a multipurpose room, a book restaurant, and an outdoor reading garden. The city plans to introduce an automated system to provide a future-oriented library usage environment. Additionally, during the full-scale detailed design phase, the city will continuously gather citizens’ opinions to enhance the library’s completeness.

Jung Jang-seon, Mayor of Pyeongtaek, stated, "The Pyeongtaek Central Library will be more than a simple knowledge repository; it will be a complex cultural space where citizens grow and interact together. Based on a world-class design proposal, we will create a city landmark where anyone can comfortably visit."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.