Carlo Ratti Associati and Bio-architecture Formosana (BAF) Architects have been selected to design the newest addition to the Taiwan National Library and Repository.

The firms beat out nine other competitors to secure the commission. The new public building, set to be constructed on a wooded plot in Tainan, will feature both as a monument and as a kind of educational town.

In a statement, BAF said: "The concept of library as a town was inspired by the humbleness of the context while creating a ‘town’ as part of the town fabric. Three main ideas drive the creation of this chance encounter: the integration with nature, the openness of learning and the ‘museumisation’ of the library.”

The company outlined its view that the library of the future should be both an energy-efficient park and a “hub of open learning” for “community-driven, museum-like spaces and activities”.

The planned space, which will explore the future of open access learning, will, therefore, function as a book museum and archives hub, inviting patrons to freely explore Taiwan’s digital records and observe what BAF has called a “book-bot”, an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

A solar canopy will regulate the building’s temperature, providing library-goers with shade while harnessing clean energy.

BAF has also indicated that the surrounding campus will preserve 90% of trees from the original plot in order to demonstrate how built environments can be harmoniously integrated into nature.

The library is expected to open to the public in 2023.