The Suzhou Second Library, scheduled to open in 2019, is situated north of Suzhou’s ancient city center. This new facility offers more than just a modern library to this historic cultural hub known for its rich literary tradition. Located within the scenic Shuxiang Park, the library also includes distinctive reading rooms and exhibition spaces, enriching the city’s cultural landscape.
One of the library’s most remarkable features is its state-of-the-art, large-scale intelligent library, boasting a collection capacity of seven million books—the largest in China. The design competition for this project was won by GMP Feng Gekang, Marg and Partner Architects in 2014. They collaborated with the Southeast University Architectural Design and Research Institute to bring the design to fruition.
Beyond its traditional book lending services, the Suzhou Second Library introduces China’s first advanced above-ground intelligent book storage system. Standing 36.8 meters tall within the newly developed Shuxiang Park, the library houses several specialized sections, including the Suzhou Literature Museum, Design Library, Digital Library, Music Library, and Children’s Library. Additionally, it offers public cultural spaces such as seminar and exhibition rooms.
The building’s unique architectural style is defined by its rotating and upward-tilting layers, accented by horizontal facade lines made from lightweight sunshade aluminum panels. The ground floor footprint is intentionally compact and aligned parallel to surrounding streets, creating ample pedestrian and landscape space at ground level. As the structure ascends, each layer rotates and tilts upward, offering expansive views of the lake and city, as well as generous reading areas. The design concept evokes the image of a stack of paper or books gradually rotating upwards.
The library building is divided into two interconnected volumes, linked both at the base and in the upper levels, to accommodate different functional needs for public and library spaces. The exterior features thick, plain concrete walls with horizontal lines and wood grain textures, contrasting with transparent glass curtain walls around the public areas.
The intelligent book storage area, with a more enclosed facade, is positioned on the north side of the site. Meanwhile, the reading rooms, characterized by transparent facades, face south towards the urban landscape. The six-story building reaches a floor height of 5.7 meters per level.
▲ Second floor plan
The two volumes are separated by a public square running east-west through the building. This elevated square serves as the main entrance, accessible via a large staircase leading to both the north and south sections of the library. It also connects to Shuxiang Park, creating convenient shortcuts and encouraging visitors to engage with both the interior spaces and the surrounding landscape.
This design effectively integrates the library’s diverse cultural offerings into the urban fabric by establishing a strong connection between interior and exterior spaces.
Reading Spaces
Intelligent Library
Project Drawings
▲ General layout plan
▲ First floor plan
▲ Fourth floor plan
▲ Fifth floor plan
▲ Sectional drawing AA
▲ Sectional drawing DD
Project Information
Project type: Library
Architect: GMP
Area: 45,300 m²
Project Year: 2019
Photographer: Christian Gahl
Designers: Mannhard von Gekon, Nikolaus Getz, Madeline Weiss
Competition Stage Project Leaders: Kong Ashong, Martin Friedrich
Competition Stage Design Team: Ren Peiying, Fabian Schlitt, Kan Lijing, Mustapha Obed, Wang Yiqun, Zhang Bowei
Implementation Phase Lead: Strict Self-Discipline
Implementation Phase Design Team: Bai Yunjie, Martin Friedrich, Kong Ashong, Li Chen, Qian Lie, Ren Peiying, Sun Yu, Slowly Feng, Yao Yao, Shi Xiaohui
China Project Management: Pan Mei
Structural Design: Schleicher Bergman and Partner Engineering Firm
Curtain Wall Consultant: Warner Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd
Landscape Planning: WES Landscape Design Firm
Chinese Cooperative Design Unit: Southeast University Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd
Owner: Suzhou Library
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