Binhai Library, Tianjin

Binhai Library, Tianjin
天津滨海图书馆

Address: 347 Xunsheng Road, Binhai New Area, Tianjin
Opening hours:
2 pm- 9:30 pm (Monday)
9:30 am-9:30 pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

From a distant view, the outlook of the Binhai Library resembles a giant eye gazing at the city. At the same time, people outside can look through the eye and see a "book mountain" through the transparent glass wall of the building, which is one of the main design concepts of the library. Meanwhile, metal lattices on the glass walls keep the books out of direct sunlight.

Covering 33,700 square meters, the Binhai Library has become a cultural landmark of the city that attracts many visitors.

Boasting a collection of about 1.2 million books, the Binhai Library in North China’s Tianjin was co-designed by the Netherlands-based architecture and urban design company MVRDV and the Architectural Branch of the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute.

A spherical lecture hall in the center of the library can hold nearly 100 people, while 440,000 LED lights embedded on the surface of the sphere illuminate various pictures and texts.

What’s more, the Binhai Library is home to an independent reading service area for minors and a reading area for older and visually impaired people.