Gyeonggi-do's First Provincial Library Groundbreaking in March Next Year... 110 Billion Won Invested

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] 'Gyeonggi Provincial Library,' the first provincial library in Gyeonggi-do, will break ground in March next year.

Gyeonggi-do announced on the 5th that all related administrative procedures, including preliminary approval for building permits and traffic impact assessments for the 'Gyeonggi Provincial Library Construction Project,' have recently been completed.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Library is a metropolitan-level representative library that activates library operations within the province and supports mutual cooperation.

It will be built in Gwanggyo Gyeonggi Convergence Town, Iui-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, with four basement floors and five above-ground floors, covering a total floor area of 30,300 square meters. The total project cost is 110 billion KRW.

Since October 2018, Gyeonggi-do has been carrying out preliminary procedures for the construction of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library, including ▲local finance investment review (October 2018) ▲shared property management plan (May 2019) ▲land acquisition (September 2019) ▲selection of the winning design in the architectural design competition (February 2020) ▲library name selection (September 2020) ▲building permits (September 2021).

The province plans to select a construction company through a technical proposal bidding method for detailed design in December and break ground in March next year. The goal is to complete construction by 2024.

To create a building that will last for the next 100 years, a total of 24 expert forums and advisory meetings by field have been held from the early stages of the project in 2018 until now.

The design of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library adopts an oval shape, symbolizing Gyeonggi-do's vision of preparing for a new 100 years at the Gwanggyo New Government Building (Gyeonggi Convergence Town). Additionally, a spiral flow connecting the interior spaces of the library from the outside emphasizes organic continuity between the exterior and interior, and the central spiral staircase creates a unique and creative pedestrian path leading to the rooftop sky garden.

With a goal of housing 900,000 volumes, the largest in the province, it is designed to accommodate 500,000 volumes in the two basement floors' preservation stacks and 400,000 volumes in the reading rooms on each floor.

By floor, specialized materials related to the Gyeonggi region will be arranged in the connected spaces from basement level 1 to the first floor, excluding the underground parking lot. This is to help visitors enhance their understanding of Gyeonggi-do's industry, history, culture, as well as peace policies such as inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

The first and second floors will house public services such as open reading rooms and media rooms, while the third and fourth floors will contain administrative and policy reading rooms and research offices. Basement level 1 will include a public forum where residents and experts can meet and discuss, as well as a regional materials preservation center.

Park Seung-sam, Director of the Lifelong Education Bureau of Gyeonggi-do, said, "Based on the detailed design plan, we will officially proceed with construction starting in March 2022, aiming for opening in 2024. Through the Gyeonggi Provincial Library, we will create an opportunity for all libraries in the province to make groundbreaking progress and provide residents with the nation's highest level of knowledge and information services."