Beitou Library

The original building was found containing sea-sand in 2001. It was reconstructed and reopened in Nov 2006 with expense about US$3.75 million.

The total floor area is about 2,150m2.

Construction materials: mainly steel, wood,  and minimal  RC.

We describe it as a Green Building meaning comfortable, energy-saving & healthy. A green building is supposed to cover four concepts: ecology, energy-saving, waste reduction & health.

 Three important elements of life; namely sunshine, air, and water, are essentially considered when it was designed.

The sloped roof is made to collect rainwater for toilet flushing and plant-watering.

Solar panels and sloped grassy roof work as isolators to keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer.

French-style windows are to let a large amount of light come in and have a good view of natural landscape outside.

There is no window on the west side to avoid the exposure to the scorching afternoon sun.

Buckets are set up to keep rainwater. The capacity of the reservoir in the basement is about 340tons water, which is equal to water for toilet flushing about 26,000 times in the library.

The solar panels paved on the roof can save 10% of power consumption, reducing the electricity cost about  NT$40,000 per year.

No antiseptic treatment is applied to the construction materials, namely, there is no toxic air. The wooden materials can create good air for health.

The construction was designed to have automatic air ventilation.

Waste reduction was also one of the features in the construction.

Part of the original earth, tiles, and bricks are recycled and reused when the building was reconstructed.

Alongside the building, there is a wooden walkway to keep the ground breathable. And the rainwater can be partially absorbed by the soil underneath.

A monitor was hung on the wall to show the real-time status of power production, power consumption and air quality (carbon dioxide index).

All bookshelves are 110cm high to create the view wide and far. People also can read at veranda (balcony) which offers an excellent reading environment.

The Beitou Library, Green Building, was awarded a diamond grade of architecture in 2007 in Taiwan. It was also chosen to be one of the most beautiful twenty-five public libraries in the world.