From JIAYAO WANG
Shanghai Children’s Library is located at No.962 West Nanjing Road, Changfeng Business District, Putuo District, Shanghai, it plays the role of children’s literature resource center, children’s reading promotion and guidance center.
The Suzhou River lies to the south of the site, naturally forming a waterside platform, while to the north, the site is located just across the road from Changfeng Park, offering direct access to lush public green space. With the broad vision, greenery and waterscape, the site is suitable for diverse activities, and convenient transportation.
Stretching from Changfeng Park to the Suzhou River, the existing urban green corridor offers citizens a continuous ecological recreation zone running north to south. However, the new library site interrupts this landscape sequence. In response, we elevated the main building with an arched form, preserving open space at ground level to maintain the visual and spatial flow of the park. In this way, the landscape on both sides is seamlessly continued, while the open ground floor creates a vibrant outdoor setting for citizens and teenagers to gather, interact, and enjoy public life.
Accordingly, the shape of the “bridge” was chosen as a sign of the library, enhancing visual openness and accessibility. Metaphorically, it bridges the journey from childhood to the future.
Children are the future of humanity—full of vitality, like a budding forest. To reflect this spirit, the library’s interior adopts light-filled, forest-inspired claddings. Under sunlight, the textured surfaces evoke the feeling of a tranquil “reading forest,” blending warmth and wonder into the learning experience.
The overall design is a forward-looking exploration of what children’s libraries can become in the digital age. Moving beyond the traditional “library of books,” this new model embraces a “library for people”—a child-centered, inclusive, and interactive cultural hub. The space supports various media formats and fosters multi-dimensional learning through features such as a puzzle hall, AI bookstore, recording studio, public platform, training rooms, play areas, celebrity book bar, and leisure zones. It is an inspiring, multifunctional public space where knowledge, nature, and community come together.