It was always going to be competition of David and Goliath proportions.
Liverpool’s new public library Yellamundie, in Sydney’s south-west, made international news last month when it became one of four finalists in the annual bid to find the most beautiful new library in the world.
But on Monday night in Barcelona, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) announced the top gong had gone to the Beijing Library.
Both the Beijing and Yellamundie libraries opened their doors in December last year, but at 75,000 sq metres and with a budget of 1.415bn yuan (almost A$300m), the Chinese entry – co-designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta and ECADI from China – dwarfed its Australian competitor in both size and cost.
The Liverpool mayor, Ned Mannoun, said just making it into the top four was a thrill.
“Being a finalist in a prestigious world-wide award confirmed council’s vision to create a magnificent library that was not only functional but also aesthetically stunning,” Mannoun said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Being a finalist was a huge honour for the City of Liverpool and shows that it is truly a global city that is a world destination in its own right.”
More than a dozen new libraries from 10 countries were vying for the title of Public Library of the Year, annually judged by IFLA, based in The Hague in the Netherlands.
The other two finalists were another Chinese entry, the Shenzhen Library North Hall, and the Kaunas County Public Library in Lithuania.
Judges had praised the FJC Studio-designed Yellamundie (meaning “the storyteller” in the local Dharug language) when announcing the shortlist of four in September.
“It is impressive to see the different take on how to respond to the changing needs of the user, sustainability as a more and more important factor, when we build new libraries as well as different takes on how to create welcoming reading and learning spaces for the local communities,” the chair of the IFLA judging panel, Jakob Lærkes, said in a statement.
The 5,000 sq metre library is part of a $600m revamp of the Liverpool Civic Place, which will include new council offices and a civic plaza. Within the new library are public art gallery spaces, more than 2km of shelving and a Stem educational centre called Create Space.
But Yellamundie couldn’t beat what the judges described as Beijing Library’s “wow factor”, in what is now the world’s largest climatised reading space.
Judges praised the way the architects connected books, people and nature throughout the design, with its curved stepped terraces mirroring the surrounding landscape of the Tonghui River and its hills and valleys.
“The library is an impressive, spectacular building, that presents a contemporary hub for learning, knowledge-sharing, social interaction, and community engagement,” the judges concluded.
“The Beijing Library not only demonstrates its connection to the environment through its nature-infused design, but also strengthens its commitment to sustainability by reducing carbon emissions, adopting green office routines, and promoting a sharing and circular economy to achieve green goals.”
