I was excited to see Taipei Public Library, Beitou Branch chosen by Flavorwire as one of ‘The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World‘. I had to visit the library in person when I was in Taiwan last month.

Taipei Public Library, Beitou Branch opened in 2006 and is the first certified green building library in Taiwan. It has a large collection dedicated to ecological conservation.

It was raining hard the day I visited. As I walked towards the building, I could see all the people in there reading quietly. It was a beautiful and peaceful view with the library standing in the rain in the wide open park.

Once I was inside, I felt surrounded by nature as the furniture and most of the interior surfaces were wood. Bookshelves were below eye-level to create the openness of the space. All the windows were open. There are tables and chairs on the balcony for reading.

(All interior photos below are from Taipei Public Library website.)

Periodicals Area

Stairs to B1

2nd Floor

2nd Floor

Outdoor Reading Area

I spent a couple of hours reading at the library. It was very pleasant morning.

Here is a video explaining why this library is ‘Green’:

[added Jul. 13, 2012] This is a video about the library in English: