King’s College International School Bangkok, Library
Design by Onion
Photograph by W Workspace
The library is located in a new building designed for senior high school students at King’s College International School Bangkok. The library occupies two floors of the building, connected by a copper laminated staircase and bridge, built diagonally across a double height working space. The total area of the library is 864 square meters.
The exterior elements of this building are mainly brick walls. Onion therefore decided to bring orange bricks into the interior spaces. The copper laminated boards have a shiny effect which is juxtaposed with the matte quality of the brick.
The arrangement of furniture lets students choose how they want to sit and work. Students can sit in front of windows looking out to the city, or on the bridge overlooking the rest of the library. We designed 175 seats for groups with either tables and chairs or sofas. There are also 5 study/meeting rooms for group discussions.
On the first floor of the library, individual reading spaces are located next to the entrance, reception desk, and bookshelves, which hold a maximum capacity of 11,200 books. Reading desks are divided by glass walls, which we covered with a white film for students’ privacy and safety. The film fades from opaque at the bottom to transparent at the ceiling, from the outside you can see only the silhouettes of bodies reading and studying.