Introduction
The Moonsan Base Library and the surrounding park will fulfill three roles. First, as it is located very close to the border between the South and the North, it will be a symbol of peace, with a design which is very open and inviting, offering space for people to come together. Secondly, as it is close to the DMZ which is a treasure trove of natural and ecological resources, it will be a symbol of ecology, with a design where nature and architecture are interwoven and in harmony. Thirdly, it will offer a place for the community of Paju – both the community of the neighborhood and that of the larger area of the city of Paju – for outdoor activities, cultural activities indoor and outdoor, and social activities for the people of the direct neighborhood, with a design where the open space between the library pavilions merges with the space of the park.
The design features and open pavilion structure above ground, allowing the space of the park to merge with the space of the library, with the volumes of the second floor peacefully ‘floating’ between the trees, and with unified and concentrated spaces of the library underground, around a collection of courtyards. The open space of the park, between the buildings and of the courtyards, with the open layout of the underground floor, together form one open space where leisure, cultural and community activities can interact, and where nature and architecture can merge, offering an open and peaceful atmosphere.

Site analysis
The situation of the site is determined by four factors: 1. it is an open, rectangular field which defining boundaries are streets on three sides and higher apartment buildings on the fourth side, 2. it is central to residential districts west, south and east of it, 3. it is central to the educational institutions of Moonsan High School to the northwest and Moonsan Elementary school to the southeast, and 4. the green space of the park is a link between the larger green areas west and east of the site.
The existing green zones along the southwest and southeast edges of the site offer a good transition to the adjacent areas with the residential towers. The emphasis on the diagonals in the current layout of the park works surprisingly well to give the site the character of a spatially open field, freely extending in the horizontal direction. The difference in height along the southeast edge, finally, opens up the possibility to extend the park in the third dimension as well.

Program analysis
Apart from the common space and the serving spaces (including the parking), it seems logical to us to distinguish five main components of the program:
1. The open outdoor space of the park, to be used for exercise, leisure and rest, for outdoor cultural activities, and for community activities. There should be a clear and logical connection with the indoor spaces of the library.
2. General library space with books and reading tables and working seats.
3. Children’s library with books, children’s reading space, infant’s reading space and children’s culture class.
4. The spaces for culture and education, with the multi-purpose room and the cultural lecture room.
5. Office space for the managing staff with offices, staff meeting room and employee rest area.

Concept
The library will be a collection of four pavilions in between the trees of the park, connected on underground level through one large open space, with several courtyards, and with the spaces on second floor in gently curved light-colored volumes floating between the crowns of the trees, making the library into a friendly landmark.
The open space of the park naturally continues in the open space between the pavilions of the library. A strong interaction between inside and outside is secured by the openness of the facades on ground floor level. The spatial and visual connection with the underground level is via the courtyards, physically with courtyard-wide stairs, and indoors with stairs and elevators.
Programmatically, four components of the program each have their own pavilion: general library, children’s library, space for culture and education, and the offices. The division of the program over the levels is to have the most public functions of each part on ground floor, directly accessible, to have the main spaces of the library underground, where they form their own self-contained and tranquil microcosm, and to have the more secluded spaces, which require concentration, on second floor between the crowns of the trees.
The openness of the configuration is a symbol for peace. The pavilions floating gently between the trees show harmony with nature. And the transparency of ground floor and underground level, with its open plan and its courtyards, invite people from the neighborhood and larger Paju city to participate in community and cultural activities. The open pavilion layout ensures that the park stays one connected space, for people to enjoy leisurely or actively.

Design strategies
1. Keep as much as possible of the existing park lay-out and trees: gently fit the library building with what is already present
2. Preserve the openness of the park with a pavilion-type configuration
3. As a whole, the library appears as a collection of light-colored volumes hovering between the trees: a friendly landmark
4. The main part of the program is situated at underground level: this ensures transparency above ground, and creates a self-contained but open microcosm
on underground level
5. The facades on ground-floor level are all glass: to preserve the openness here, and to enhance the hovering quality of the volumes of the second floor. Ground-floor spaces are the most public, where the library is connected to the city.
6. The second-floor spaces are for concentration
7. Colour, material and texture of the second-floor volumes make for a friendly and
unobtrusive appearance of the pavilions, merging with the trees of the park
8. Each of the four main components of the program have their own recognizable territory in the library complex

Process
1. fit the pavilions in the existing park, in such a way as to preserve openness, existing
pathways, and trees
2. excavate underground level to accommodate the largest part of the program
3. organize the underground level with courtyards and built spaces
4. give the second-floor volumes a gently curved roof, and a curtain-like texture, to fit them
visually between the trees of the park, but at the same time to make the library a visual
symbol and landmark.
5. open the facades on ground floor level
6. divide the four main components of the program in clearly recognizable territories in the
building: general library, children’s library, space for culture and education, and the offices
7. give each pavilion its own vertical circulation core
8. organize the car parking in the north-west part of the site, above ground and underground
9. connect underground level and ground level with courtyard-wide stairs, and with the
stepped hall of the multi-purpose room, and the outdoor auditorium