Creating an Eco-Friendly Library and Operating Experiential Programs for Forest-Integrated Cultural Experiences... Connected to Park Trails, Establishing a Multi-Functional Healing Space for Exercise and Relaxation
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The leisure of enjoying a book in the forest. An empty lot within Maebongsan Eungbong Neighborhood Park has been transformed into a ‘Forest Library’.
On the 7th, Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Wono) opened the ‘Forest Library’ at the foot of Maebongsan in Oksu-dong. It is a complex healing space where people of all ages can read books in harmony with nature and enjoy various leisure activities such as forest experience programs.
The library, with a total floor area of 378.13㎡ and two stories, was created by utilizing a 15m natural slope of an idle site within the existing park. The underground area at the lower part of the slope was installed as a public restroom for people walking along the Maebongsan trail, and the first floor was developed as a library with an experience space called the Oval Yard, a reading room, and a program room.
The program room was designed to facilitate interaction with the front yard, the Oval Yard, creating a space where the whole family can enjoy together and local residents can communicate.
The exterior of the library, made of wooden pillars and roof, blends as part of the forest. The interior, decorated with eco-friendly materials including wooden bookshelves, faithfully implements a nature-friendly design concept, installing large windows that draw in as much natural light as possible, creating a rich sense of openness as if reading books deep in the forest, harmonizing with the woods.
A district official said, “We focused on creating a space where people can breathe with the forest and enjoy leisure,” adding, “Various trees were planted around the library, and themed gardens reflecting the four seasons were created, adding the simple pleasure of enjoying modest scenery while looking out the window.”
They also explained that by connecting the existing trail leading from the library to the summit of Maebongsan and placing a public restroom in the library’s basement, residents who used the park before can now exercise while simultaneously reading and resting.
The library houses about 3,000 books, including 1,787 children’s books, and various experience programs using screens will be operated in the program room.
Operating hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. However, during the period of compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, hours are adjusted to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jeong Wono, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We established this Forest Library as a green resting place in the city for local residents psychologically exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, offering nature, reading, communication, and healing,” and added, “We hope it becomes a sanctuary for local residents to enjoy a rich emotional life with nature.”
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