Chongqing Sina • Fairy Mountain Unroofed Library

In 2017, C-MART camping fair held a reading activity in a natural environment at Fairy Mountain for visitors, which made great influence. After that, in order to normalize the activity and upgrade travel experience in Wulong, Wulong Karst Tourism Group invited designers to jointly build the brand of "Book • Fairy Mountain" and create an Instagrammable scenic spot - “Fairy Mountain Unroofed Library”.
Located on the north bank of Wu River in Wulong District, Chongqing, Fairy Mountain boasts abundant natural resources and amazing landscape, such as lush forest, spacious natural grassland, and has the mean temperature at 24 degrees centigrade in summer, which is a unique natural tourist attraction in Chongqing.
Based on the client’s needs and the characteristics of project, the design team thinks that the project is not only an Instagrammable scenic spot but also a mix-use architecture integrating different spaces for cultural, parent-child activities and entertainment. While supporting activities and adding more functional spaces for the existing one, the newly built unroofed library is supposed to conform to the natural landscape and cultural connotation of Fairy Mountain.
So, what kind of library should be built on such a beautiful site is the first and the most important question. In order to harmonize with the existing quality natural environment, the designer team considers that the architecture should avoid a centralized style. Through the observation and study of the site, the designers notice a special relationship among forest, grassy slope and small sunken space. In order to adapt to and utilize those environmental characteristics, scattered blocks and distributed functional divisions are created to make people enjoy a relaxed and happy feeling according to different venues and time, which presents a perfect cultural narrative.
Since the prominent feature of forest is quiet, the designers adopt a spatial layout with the winding path leading to secluded spaces, especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. And the sloping field is set for various activities because it well demonstrates the open spirit, where young people can enjoy a vibrant life. While as for the sunken space, it focuses on privacy that enables families to be immersed in parent-child activities in a safe and comfortable environment.