You Can Climb A ’Book Mountain’ In This Gigantic Library In China

This library is a book lover’s dream come true. The Tianjin Binhai Library, Tianjin, China.  33,700 square meters. Five levels. Enough shelf space for 1.2 million books. It was completed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV and local architects from the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute. It’s nicknamed “The Eye.“ “The angles and curves are meant to stimulate different uses of the space, such as reading, walking, meeting and discussing. Together they form the ’eye’ of the building: to see and be seen.“ - Winy Maas, Co-founder of MVRDV There’s a giant globe in the center of the library. It has an auditorium hidden inside.  The climbable shelving acts as a “book mountain.“  But there’s a catch... Not all of the books are real. You can find a lot of books in other reading spaces beyond the main atrium space. There are sections geared for children and education. The library has become a tourist hot spot since opening in 2017. It begs for the perfect Instagram photo. -------------------------------------------------- Follow Business Insider on Twitter: Follow BI on Facebook: Read more: -------------------------------------------------- Business Insider is the fastest growing business news site in the US. Our mission: to tell you all you need to know about the big world around you. The BI Video team focuses on technology, strategy and science with an emphasis on unique storytelling and data that appeals to the next generation of leaders – the digital generation.