Mushroom library for remote village children

With only 71 households, the small village struggles with depopulation and aging residents as youth migrate for work. Yet, weekends brim with vitality as children return from town schools, filling the plaza near the village history museum with laughter. The book house, sited on a narrow rocky plot between two old dwellings and shaded by a sprawling raisin tree, acts as both a cultural gateway to the future community center and a beacon for rural rejuvenation. It more than a physical structure, the library embodies cultural resilience. It bridges tradition and modernity through material narratives, connects individual growth with collective memory, and reimagines rural spaces as fertile ground for future possibilities. Here, nostalgia is not passive preservation but active growth—rooted in heritage yet branching toward new horizons.

Handcrafted Imperfection: Rustic Materiality Rejecting polished finishes, ordinary concrete was used to embrace the raw aesthetics of rural craftsmanship. Construction flaws were meticulously refined, preserving the tactile warmth of manual labor. The result is a tactile texture—rugged yet dignified—that harmonizes with the village’s vernacular identity.

Light as Narrative: A Dynamic Theater Natural light filters through preserved tree hollows, a central oculus, and stair voids, animating the space with ever-shifting patterns. Arched steel columns cast dendritic shadows, while semi-spherical bookshelves—woven from 6mm steel rods and clad in translucent, color-saturated acrylic panels—scatter kaleidoscopic reflections. A sloped curved wall serves as seating, where children recline to watch sunlight traverse the space, transforming the book house into a "living theater" of light and time.

Spatial Drama: A Playful Labyrinth The iconic mushroom-shaped roof shifts in character: viewed from the east alley, it resembles a hat brim; from above, a whimsical face. An open layout and ascending pathways lead to a rooftop platform where children interact with the raisin tree, harvest its fruit, or gaze at the ancient forest canopy. At night, illuminated like a levitating UFO, the structure becomes a fantastical village landmark.