Sticking up for sustainability

Liyuan Library in Huairou district of Beijing [Photo provided to China Daily]

The building is fully glazed to allow the largest amount of daylight to enter, as the library has no power supply, which means there is no heating or air conditioning.

To solve the problem, Li placed the entrance of the library on a lower level above the pond so that in summer the cool air above the water is sucked into the house.

Windows are placed at the levels where people sit to let the breeze pass through.

The roof of the building is also covered with the firewood, but the wood is sandwiched between two layers of glass so that heat will be trapped inside to warm the building during winter.

"Technology is not simply a tool, it is also a concept. It has to be integrated into the architectural space in a way that allows the house to ventilate itself according to the outside environment," Li says.

Special consideration was put into the visual effect of the building, which is 6.3 meters high. Any change in height would break the roof line, which Li believes would be disturbing not only to people's vision, but also to the landscape. "The simpler our design is, the easier it is to integrate it into the natural surroundings," he says.