After nine years of preparation, the Gyeonggi Provincial Library has officially opened. It is a space that cannot be fully defined by the phrase “Korea’s largest public library.” Rather, it stands as a proposal for what a public library should be today—an experiment in a new kind of public platform where knowledge, culture, and technology converge.
 
With a total floor area of approximately 28,000㎡, equivalent to four soccer fields, the scale is striking. Yet the essence of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library lies not in its size, but in a shift in structure and concept. It is designed not merely as a place to store and lend books, but as an ecosystem in which knowledge is produced, circulated, and experienced. In this sense, it clearly moves beyond the conventional functional definition of a public library.
 


An Open Structure, Flowing Knowledge — A Shift in the Concept of the “Library” as Space

The core spatial language of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library is its spiral circulation. Evoking the form of a snail, this structure seamlessly connects all floors from Basement Level 1 to the fifth floor above ground, dismantling the traditional hierarchical division of levels. Rather than “moving” through stairs or elevators, visitors follow a continuous flow, experiencing the knowledge spaces as if taking a walk.

Unlike conventional libraries, where shelves are isolated by floor, the bookshelves here are interconnected within an open structure. This encourages knowledge to be perceived not as fragmented information, but as a system that expands through relationships. Centered on the central space, the library transforms from a fixed building into a dynamic field of knowledge in motion.
 


Beyond Books, Toward a Platform — A Public Experiment Where AI, Environment, and Games Coexist

The most visible change proposed by the Gyeonggi Provincial Library is the expansion of content. Approximately 340,000 volumes are currently held, with plans to expand the collection to 550,000.
 
However, the identity of the library is not defined by the number of books it owns.
 
AI studios, book grounds, console game zones, climate and environmental archives, and multilingual resource spaces all presuppose a “post-book” library. Reading, digital creation, gaming, discussion, and hands-on experiences coexist within a single public space. As a result, the library no longer functions as a quiet reading room alone, but as a multi-layered cultural platform.

In particular, the combination of AI-based content creation spaces and environmental archives signals an intention to address key issues of the future society within the public realm. It demonstrates that a library can move beyond being a neutral repository to become a place that actively raises social questions.
 

 
The Coexistence of Nature and Technology — A Model for a Sustainable Public Space

Architecturally, the Gyeonggi Provincial Library is also symbolic. Vertical gardens and plant-based spaces distributed throughout the interior, along with the rooftop Sky Library, extend the library beyond a closed indoor environment into one that is connected with nature. These elements create a setting where rest, learning, extended stays, and contemplation naturally coexist.
 
Solar and geothermal energy systems, along with air purification design, position sustainability not as a decorative feature but as a structural premise. This approach illustrates how public architecture can move beyond functional efficiency to present ethical standards for future cities.
 

 
Beyond the Region, Toward a Destination — A New Cultural Status for the Public Library

The Gyeonggi Provincial Library serves residents of the region while also functioning as a cultural destination open to visitors from elsewhere. Game spaces, AI facilities, multilingual resources, and open lounges broaden the range of users, encompassing younger generations as well as families.

This clearly reflects a shift in the role public libraries are expected to play today. No longer spaces for a specific group or function, libraries are increasingly understood as urban cultural hubs and platforms embedded in everyday life.

Imagining What Comes After the Public Library

The significance of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library lies not in its status as “the largest,” but in its role as an experiment in the future of public libraries.
 
By allowing books and technology, environment and play, learning and rest to coexist within a single structure, the library demonstrates how a traditionally defined space can be reconfigured in an era when knowledge is no longer accumulated in fixed forms.
 

The library poses fundamental questions:
 
Where is knowledge created? What should public space embrace? And what kind of place should a library become in the future?
 
The Gyeonggi Provincial Library offers one possible answer.

References

• 경기도서관 (Gyeonggi Provincial Library)