2017-09-25
Shanghai Library East is one of the key cultural projects the Shanghai government plans to build during its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). It is also part of the government’s strategy to build Shanghai into an international cultural metropolis, to “promote culture eastward,” and to implement the “One Axis, Two Centers” policy – one axis refers to the cultural axis that stretches from the east to the west across the downtown area, while two centers refer to the People’s Square in Puxi and Huamu Area in Pudong. Shanghai Library East aims to be a space of inspiration, study, communication and innovation, providing intellectual support for the government to build Shanghai into a global technology innovation center. Construction is expected to start at the end of September in Huamu.
Shanghai Library East will sit next to Pudong Citizen Center and face Century Park. It will form a culture cluster together with Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Oriental Art Center, Pudong Expo and the east branch of Shanghai Museum. Acclaimed as a “readable building,” it will cover 115,000 square meters, with seven stories above ground and two basements.
Shanghai Library East will be inclusive, intelligent and innovative with five main functions — a resource center, a knowledge exchange center, a technology experience center, a think tank and an international communication platform.
Upon completion, Shanghai Library East will have about 6,000 seats and be able to serve 4 million visitors and host more than 200 lectures and 1,000 other activities. There will be about 4.8 million books on the open shelves.