Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch

This is such a wonderful library—definitely the prettiest I've been to in Taipei. This architectural masterpiece was designed by Guo Yingzhang 郭英釗 and Zhang Qinghua 張清華. It was built in 2006 and has three floors. Since it's located within Beitou Park and largely built out of wood, it's called the breathing forest library (會呼吸的森林圖書館). It won several prizes for its outstanding architecture in 2007 and 2008. Not only is the main structure made out of wood, a lot of the interior—such as chairs, tables and bookshelves—is as well. Large floor-to-ceiling windows invite in natural light from west, north and east. A long balcony stretches along the western and northern walls of the second floor, making for a perfect break spot to catch some fresh air and wandering around in between study and reading sessions. Whether you're looking for a study/reading space, or want to admire some excellent architecture, the Beitou Library is a place you cannot miss. I warmly recommend visitors to Taipei to stop by here 📚🌳

The architectural aspect of this building is nothing short of amazing. The wooden appearance of it, surrounded by the greenery, makes it look so inviting that I think I wouldn't want to leave if I entered.

The library was closed on the day we visited Beitou. Though I could not look inside, just the architecture, the adjacent water canal, and the surrounding greenery all together deserve 5 stars.

I have a lovely day at Beitou Library. Its worth your visit every single minute. Just 50-60 mins from Taipei citi centre, you can easily catch public transport to here. I love the Library most because of its stunning and eco-friendly architect. You can spend whole day here just read your book and chill for the weekend.

The architecture is stunning – the wooden design blends beautifully with the surrounding greenery, giving the whole place a warm and inviting feel. The environment is so peaceful and calm, making it a perfect spot to read, relax, or even get some work done. A real gem in Taipei and worth a visit whether you’re into books, need a quiet place to work, or just love beautiful and serene spaces.

Very beautiful library with historical architecture design. Many locals visit there to read and study. It also has kids level. The bookshelves has adjust the height according so the kids can reach their books easily. They also have a special equipment to disinfect the books🫶

Quiet and great atmosphere was recommended to from a friend, and has a selection of English books too with benches and tables. Even has an outdoor area!

I've been to many libraries before in different countries. This is by far the most beautiful library I have ever visited so far. The exterior is something to behold. The interior is welcoming to readers of all ages. If I lived here in Taiwan, I would've spent most of my free time here. Pictures do not do this place justice. You have to come and visit to believe. I am grateful to have visited Taiwan. And will visit again soon.

My sweetie made sure I got to see this beautiful multi-storey library building in Beitou District. We had a chance to tour every level and take in the design details. Even the exterior design was awesome. A very nice Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch 臺北市立圖書館 北投分館 it is!

Opened in November 2006, the Beitou Library (市立圖書館北投分館) is Taiwan's first green library. It is one of the most energy efficient and environmental friendly architectures of Asia. The wooden building with huge windows saves electricity by using natural light instead of interior lighting. The design of the ventilation system also reduces the need for fans and air conditioning. And part of the roof is covered by photovoltaic cells so it can convert sunlight into electricity. The library has over 20,000 English and Chinese books! The Beitou Library is a really cool place to visit in Taipei if you want to check out unique architecture and get away from the bustling city life!

Little library situated in the middle of Beitou Park. Famous for its architecture. It is quite a beautiful building. Small space. 3 floors in total. Kids section in B1. Limited study space. Good view from inside. Heaps of natural lighting. But don't recommend studying here as it has really become a tourist attraction...

We visited the Library during our trip to Beitou. Honestly, we didn't even know what the building was when we first saw it, but we note this was a pretty big structure that we have to climb some stairs around it to get to our hotel after a short walk from the New Beitou MRT Station. We finally walked up to it after checking out of the hotel and are waiting on our shuttle to the Beitou MRT Station, and that's also after reading about it in the attractions brochure/maps. It is a very beautiful looking building, almost like a large multi-level theatre-sque pavilion. It is also said to be one of the first green library in Taiwan, and is in the top 25 libraries in the world in terms of beauty, engineering, architecture. We did not get to explore all levels of the library, but for what we did, the library uses open air structure that allows for a lot of natural light and air to come into the library as to save some cost for cooling (it was April when we visited, and it was a breezy day). There are balconies that one can go out to oversee the surrounding areas, very relaxing way to enjoy reading a book or letting your eyes take a break if you stayed inside for a while. As for the amenities inside the library, there are your usual copiers, scanners, or dollies to move around books if you have a bit to carry around. One thing that caught my eye is the Book/DVD/CD sanitizing station. Once you check out an item, be it a book, movie DVD or a music CD, you can come to this station and place the article inside the machine and have it UV sanitized. This may sound simple, as a matter of fact, or even considered a basic amenity for a public service area, but I certainly do not see one here back in the states, where I really do not see librarians take any sanitary precautions as they handle the check out and return media (trust me, I know, I used to work in a library). This way, at least the media is free from most forms of bacteria before it leaves the library. Very nice idea to teach kids about being clean and self responsible. But I don't see it happening in any of the public libraries here in the states any time soon, possibly terrified of liability from misuse of the UV machine by the librarians or the patrons of the libraries. If we get more time to revisit Beitou in the future, we would definitely try to stop into visit for a longer period of time.

Gorgeous library with stunning wooden architecture, outdoor balcony seating AND free WiFi! This is a great place to avoid the heat, and when's the last time you visited a library voluntarily? Check it out when you are in the area :)

If you're a book-lover, the Beitou public library is totally worth visiting. A lot of the public libraries are just utility spaces but the Beitou library is actually quite an architectural feat, in my opinion. It's a lovely space to spend time in. Beitou is quite a popular district with tourists. To see it we did quite a lot of walking around. I enjoyed stopping in this library for a few hours (we did have to get library cards or show a Taipei Resident Permit) to take a rest from the moving around. The building is mostly a wooden structure, surrounding by bright green foliage. The front wall of the library is mostly glass - so the sunshine filters in really beautifully. The structure is built with sustainability and environmentally-conscious principles in mind. A tour through the library gave us a little more insight into the sustainable design. The library is three levels - two of which are above ground while there is an additional level below. Most of the books are in Mandarin. I went here to get through some work at the desks - it's a beautiful space to work in.

It has the name of the one of the most beautiful library in the world. The architecture of the library is built around the concept of green building. Located at the heart of the Beitou district, this area has its fame of hot spring dating back to Japanese colonial ear. This architecture is built on the site of hot spring river and surround by green! Its open plan feature and low book case design visually open up the space to surround with the green environment, unlike the traditional library aisle book shelve design that make the space appear threatening. Wood is the material that have been used majorly for this building, so it gives a sense of coziness! The balcony that goes around the building open to the outside, people can grab a book and seat outside to enjoy reading. There is also a little stair seating that has different level for people to enjoy reading at the entrance. This is public library so it is totally free. Come have a look after taking hot spring there!