As part of its work on the Shanhai Qinpu Pinghe International School, OPEN Architecture has completed the Pinghe Bibliotheater, a library/theater hybrid building that invites students into a free-flowing space of both learning and performance. 

"When we were given the extensive and jumbled-together program of a new school for 2000 students aged from 3 to 18 years, the immediate reaction was how dreadful it would be for a kid spending these many years fixed in one building," said the architects in a statement. "We decided to break away from the current trend of school-as-megastructure. Instead, the original program was deconstructed and grouped into many smaller and distinctive buildings, forming a village-like campus."

The Bibliotheater is just one of the many structures that will make up the new school. The different programs interlock like a "Chinese puzzle," creating a singular massing that is connected but also separate. 

Sharp skylights poke through the structures tilted roof, while windows that mimick ship portholes puncture the perimeter facade. Most of the natural light fills the library and public spaces. The theater, requiring the least amount of lighting, sits snug further within the building.

The library space has a radial plan with a centralized oculus that provides students with additional light. At the exterior, the building tilts up, revealing a glazed entryway for approaching patrons. The building is also open to the surrounding community and available for public use.