Green. Building
- Beitou library
- History of Beitou Library
- Record of winning awards
- Reports from media
- Nearby Attractions
Features of the Library
Featuring for ecological conservation, the breathing Beitou Library occupies an area of 2,145 square meters. In total the library is a three-story building including a basement. The basement is designed for children and for audiovisual use. First and second floor include reading rooms and offer more than 40,000 books written in Chinese or other languages. There are also special areas designed for storing books about Green Building and for displaying features of the library. (Source: narrated by Chou Hung-Chi, present director of Beitou Library)
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| ▲B1: Children’s Room | ▲1F: Internet Searching Area and Newspaper Area |
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| ▲2F: Reading Room | ▲3F: Outdoor Reading Balcony |
| Pictures/ Provided by Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch | |
Developing Course and Timeline of Beitou Library (Made by Green Miracle)
| Predecessor 1960.09 |
1977 |
1987.04.14 |
Slump 2000.09.24 |
Transformation 2002.07.15 |
Rebirth 2006.11.17 |
| under management of Yangmingshan office | under management of Taipei City government | old Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch opened | examined to be fixer upper/ torn down and plan of reconstruction | old Beitou branch was torn down, redesigned, and reconstructed | new Beitou branch was reborn and reopened as a green library |
▲ Beitou Library of Yangmingshan office
Predecessor
Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch was managed by Yangmingshan office until 1977. After then, it was managed by Taipei City government.
▲ old Beitou branch
Period of Slump
The old Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch was opened on Apr. 14, 1987. However, it was closed on Sep. 24, 2000 because it was examined to be a fixer upper.
▲ site of Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch
Period of Transformation
On July 15, 2002, the old Beitou branch was torn down and planned to be redesigned and reconstruction. Situated in Beitou Park, next to Beitou creek, adjacent to Beitou Hot Spring Museum, the location of Beitou branch was so wonderful that Taipei Public Library decided to make Beitou branch a green building based on the concept of ecological sustainability.
▲ Nov. 17, 2006 Taipei Pulic Library Beitou Branch reopened
Period of Rebirth
Beitou branch, the magical tree house in forest, was torn down because it was examined to be a fixer upper. On 2006, Beitou branch was reborn as a green building.
▲ As Beitou branch reopened, Ma Ying-Jiu, the mayor of Taipei City at that time, attended the open ceremony and toured around the library by the leading of Tzeng Shu-Hsien, the director of the library at that time.
Narration and Pictures/ Provided by Li Wen-Lin, senior volunteer of Beitou branch
| Year | Award |
| 2007 | EEWH Diamond level |
| 6th Quality Innovation Award first prize of the Taipei City government | |
| the first prize of the 2007 Taiwan Architecture Award | |
| the first prize of 6th City Scenery Award of Taipei City government | |
| the 8th Quality Public Engineering Award of Executive Yuan | |
| Excellent Green Building Design Award of Ministry of The Interior | |
| 2008 | nominated for Gold-Medal Global Architecture Award—Global Excellent Architecture Award |
| 2012 | selected as one of the 25 of “World's Most Beautiful Public Library” by the U.S. website Flavorwire.com |
▲EEWH Diamond medal (Picture/ Provided by Green Miracle)
Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch not only equips itself with advanced facilities, but is very devoted to promoting activities on reading and culture as well, in order to enhance people’s vision of reading to a higher level. Volunteers had been recruited before the library opened. Strictly-selected and well-trained, all volunteers were already cable and professional enough to work as the library start its operation.
Furthermore, in combination of local culture and in cooperation with local artists, Beitou branch often holds various activities such as arts exhibitions, book exhibitions, annual concerts, 2008 World Reading Day, etc. (Source: narration of Chou Hung-Chi, present director of Beitou branch)
▲ Li Hung-Yuan, minister of Ministry of The Interior, awarded Beitou Branch Model Site of Green Building (Picture/ Provided by Architecture and Building Institute, Ministry of The Interior)
The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World
We’re suckers for beautiful libraries here at Flavorpill, as you might have noticed from our lists of beautiful college libraries and beautiful private libraries from all over the world. But public libraries are probably even more important to the culture at large than either of these — they’re places where anyone can enter and partake of knowledge they offer, where anyone can engage with history, literature and culture. And while we know it’s the books that are important, everyone likes to read in a beautiful space, so we decided to take a look at the most beautiful public libraries in the world. We excluded some very beautiful libraries that may be open to the public as museums or tourist attractions but with limited function as actual libraries, like the Vatican library (which to use, you must prove your qualifications and research needs) and the library of Dutch Parliament, but we think there are enough public libraries proper to make up for their loss. Click through to see our choices for the twenty five most beautiful public libraries in the world, and let us know if we’ve missed your favorite in the comments.
News About Beitou
Apr. 4, 1994/ China Times
Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch was examined as fixer upper
Nov. 16, 2006/ United Daily News evening news
First Green Building Library— reading in Nature
Mar. 29, 2012/ United Daily News
Green Building: Live with Nature, Built with Science
Apr. 19, 2012/ United Daily News
Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch: the U.S. top 25 Beautiful Library
Apr. 19, 2012/ China Times
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(Source: http://tw.mag.cnyes.com/Content/20120712/f64995929bed44079b37da273ff0c57f.shtml)
News/ Provided and Collected by Green Miracle on Sep. 30, 2012
2012-08-10／Discover Taipei
A Tour of Taipei’s “Green Houses”
The whole world has become concerned with the issues of global warming and dwindling natural resources. People are examining the links between their lives and their environment. The concept of "green building" has been born and taken root, promoting sustainability, symbiosis, energy conservation, waste reduction, and healthy living. Wave after wave of green construction has been initiated. Taipei metropolis is home to many green buildings in which harmony with the natural environment is the key theme. In this issue we take our readers on a personal tour of some of the most representative.
One of the World's 25 Most Beautiful Libraries – Beitou Public Library In a review of the world's libraries posted earlier this year, the American culture and entertainment website Flavorwire.com named the Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch (臺北市立圖書館北投分館) one of "The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World." The branch, in fact, enjoyed a widespread reputation for beauty long before this, receiving no end of awards. It was also a finalist in the Public Sector Category of the FIABCI Prix d'Excellence Awards in 2008…
Nearby Attractions
Let’s Explore Beitou with Yang-Yei, the expert of Beitou
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:: Walking Tour |
Summer Tour
10:30 MRT Beitou Station →Xinbeitou Park |
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| ▲Handmade map “Let’s Go To Beitou” by Yang-Yei, the expert of Beitou. (Picure/ From the Department of Information and Tourism) |
Beitou Hot Spring Museum No.2, Zhongshan Rd., Beitou Distrct, Taipei City This museum was “Beitou Public Hot Spring Bath” during the Japanese colonial era in 1913. It was the largest public hot spring bath in East Asia, and now is the most significant hot-spring exhibition venue. Its collection includes precious Angelsobarite. Moreover, the Roman arches on 1F and Japanese room on 2F are both fascinating. Performances will be displayed randomly in the outdoor square. |
No.6, Zhongshan Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City Built around 1930s, the Plum Pavilion was once the summer getaway villa for famous Chinese calligrapher Yu You-ren. The special Japanese-style wooden structure is still well preserved, and the word “Plum Pavilion” on the pillar of the entrance was inscribed by Yu You-ren. This site has been designated by the Taipei City Government as a historic building with a visitor information center. |
Ketagalan Culture Center No.3-1, Zhongshan Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City Ketagalan Culture Center is the first indigenous culture arts and education center within the country. It aims at preserving the indigenous culture, language, history and arts. |
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Picture/ Provided by Green Miracle
Delicacies and Souvenirs
Local Delicacies at Beitou Market
Beitou Market provides large varieties of inexpensive delicacies, including order-and-make snacks and refreshing beverages, without the hustle and bustle of a night market. Many time-honored shops are locals’ favorite, such as “Tsai Yuan-Yi Tea Shop”, “Shang-Quan Pork Soup”, ”Short-Tsai Braised Pork Rice”, “A-Chou Pot Side Scraping Soup”, “Da-Pang Dumplings”, rice noodle soup and so on.
(Cited from a brochure which was published by the Department of Information and Tourism.)
Other Gourmet Cuisine
Other than Beitou Market, there are still many cuisines worth trying! For example, “Man-Lai Hot Spring Ramen”, which serves tasty noodles with hot-spring boiled tofu and eggs, is very popular. Its noodle is unforgettably satisfying . Besides, “ Peng-Lai Fried Rib Nuggets” uses finest ribs to make their rib nuggets. The ribs were soaked in exclusive sauce, which makes the nuggets crunchy and zesty. Furthermore, at “Li’s Beef Noodle Shop”, y ou have five different kinds of noodles to choose . It specializes in its thick slice of beef beef and the rich soup . And this is why Li always stands out in beef noodle competitions.
(Cited from a brochure which was published by the Department of Information and Tourism.)
Beitou’s Tavern Dishes
Beitou is not only famous for exotic hot springs resorts, but also the home to “Tavern Dishes.” Back in the Japanese colonial period, Japanese built resorts and hotels in Beitou, a town with hot springs, to entertain prominent political and business figures with what was later called “bureaucratic food” or “Tavern Dishes” in 1950s.
The Tavern Dishes integrate the best of Taiwan, Sichuan and many other regional cuisines. The dishes are usually meticulously prepared and decorated, which offer a visual and savory extravaganza . Welcome and indulge yourself in the fantastic Tavern Dishes , distinctive scenic beauty of Beitou!
(Cited from the website of 2011 Taipie Season of Hot Spring)
Transportations
Address
No.251, Guangming Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City 112, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Public Bus
Beitou Park Stop
Bus： 216(Shuttle)、218、218(Shuttle)、218(Straight)、223、266、230、602、s6、s7、s9、s22、s25、s26
MRT
Take Xingdian-Tamsui Line or Beitou-Taipower Building Line to Beitou Station, and transfer to Beitou-Xinbeitou Line, then get off at Xinbeitou Station