The Pingtan Children’s library

As a building typology, it follows the traditional Dong House, with a tiled pitch roof and mortise and tenon timber construction system of interlocking columns and beams. Of the four elevations, two are dedicated to views, of the courtyard and adjacent rice fields, while the other two are reserved for books. This is no ordinary children’s library, it is a place where kids read and play at the same time, a new paradigm for rural village libraries in China.

Through a process of participation, we gained the trust of the villagers and the school principal, enabling us to create a social narrative that helped us find donors who would eventually sponsor the project. The building was built with a single donation from Chan Cheung Mun Chung Charitable Fund of 600,000 HKD which covered the cost of the entire construction.

The value of this project lies in two fundamental lessons. The first relates directly to the children of Pingtan who beyond enjoying playing in the library have realized their culture is alive and remains relevant in this fastly changing world. The second relates to the discipline, at a moment when architecture especially in an urban metropolis like Hong Kong seems to have lost its soul to ever-demanding developers, making one aware of the social importance of architecture. Social impact does not require large amounts of financial investment, design is not limited to high-end projects, and architecture must have a purpose.