The new center is a quiet oasis of culture in the district where the Chinese capital’s local administration has been concentrating, a ‘sub-center’ that seeks to slow down the crowding of the heart of the metropolis.

Protected by a flat roof with large eaves that prevent overheating, an enormous curtain wall mitigates the building’s gravity and blurs its edges for the effect of prolonging the interior space outward.

With forms inspired by the fan-shaped leaves of the gingko tree, a canopy of overlapping panels hovers 16 meters high, thanks to a grid of slender pillars that also serve to channel rainwater and conceal services.

AV Proyectos 118: Biblioteca de la ciudad de Pekín (en construcción)

AV Monografías 246: Snøhetta