Zheshui Natural Library
by LUO studio
Zheshui Village, Shanxi Province, China
Project details
Year
2025
Project year
2022
Building area
154.7 m²
Project website
Team credits
architects
- LUO studio -
Luo Yujie,
Wang Beilei,
Huang Shangwan,
Hong Lun,
Cao Yutao,
Liang Jiahui.
contributing partners
Old Wu XiaoWu Workshop,
Xiao Fang Workshop,
Zheshui Village local residents.
Jonathan Jordan,
Teresa Lin.
commissioned by
Zheshui Village Committee,
Liuquan Township,
Lingchuan County,
Shanxi Province.
Zheshui Village lies in the Taihang Mountains of Shanxi Province, where architecture and landscape are inseparable. Many homes are built directly into the mountain, and the Zheshui Natural Library continues this tradition by anchoring itself into the rock face, blending with its natural surroundings.
The village faces major challenges due to its remoteness. Poor transportation makes access to construction materials difficult and expensive, while the mountainous terrain restricts mechanized building. Heavy equipment would require extensive earthwork and levelling, causing further ecological damage. The library project sought to counter these limitations by combining ecological sensitivity, cultural continuity and local craftsmanship.
The design team established four key principles. First, local materials were prioritized: timber was used wherever possible, often salvaged from unused sources and crafted into small components that villagers could assemble without machinery. Second, concrete was eliminated to prevent soil pollution; instead, small metal joints were anchored directly into the rock using expansion bolts, avoiding deep excavation. Third, the structure follows traditional mountain construction, attaching itself to an existing rock wall on a previously unused cliffside to preserve agricultural land below. Lastly, the entire building was built by villagers, relying on low-tech craftsmanship and traditional know-how.
The library is both structure and bookshelf. Its modular timber frame serves three purposes: column-grid support, seating and book storage. Thin timber members – 4 cm columns and 2.5 cm beams – are connected to create a lightweight but stable structure. Glass bricks fill the gaps between columns, serving as both enclosure and structural infill, filtering natural light while maintaining a sense of openness. The roof is composed of two intersecting layers of thin wooden panels – one horizontal, one vertical – providing strength and rhythm.
All foundations are shallow, minimizing disturbance to the terrain. Every element was crafted by hand and assembled in situ, creating an intimate connection between the builders and their landscape.
The project was jointly initiated by the village committee, residents and LUO Studio, who worked collaboratively throughout planning and construction. Villagers supported the idea of creating a children’s library, seeing it as a symbol of progress and as a way to bring learning opportunities to the mountains. Books were collected through nationwide donation campaigns, allowing urban and rural communities to connect through shared literacy. Schools and cultural institutions now integrate the library into their programmes, linking education with cultural exchange. Since its completion, the project has catalysed small-scale revitalization in the village. Local families opened small restaurants, while others converted empty houses into simple homestays for visitors. One family near the library even returned from working in the city to open guest accommodations, with design guidance from the LUO Studio team.
What began as a modest bookhouse has become a community hub where children read, learn and play. It demonstrates how architecture in remote mountain regions can be environmentally responsible, culturally respectful and socially transformative. In the context of China’s ongoing urban-rural divide, this small yet powerful project shows how careful design can restore hope and dignity in forgotten places.
LUO Studio is an architectural practice founded by Luo Yujie in Beijing, China. The studio is committed to sustainable construction and material efficiency, developing projects that merge social purpose with environmental awareness. Their work emphasizes natural materials – especially timber – and bridges traditional Chinese woodcraft with contemporary prefabrication techniques. LUO Studio’s practice spans architecture, education and rural development. The team engages with local communities, creating functional and affordable buildings that foster cultural continuity and ecological balance. Their material research extends to rammed earth, bamboo, stone and experimental reuse of discarded materials such as tires, vehicle panels and bicycle frames – redefining waste as a design resource.
Luo Yujie, a graduate and lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), previously worked with BIAD and the China New Rural Planning and Design Institute. His career reflects a commitment to slow, thoughtful building – resisting speculative development in favour of human-centred design. Notable works include the Prepared Rehmannia Roots Crafts Pavilion in Henan, the Luotuowan Pergola and the Longfu Life Experience Center. Each project embodies LUO Studio’s vision of architecture as a collaborative, regenerative act – balancing tradition, technology and ecology to build with empathy and purpose.
The prize money will fund establishing a sustainable co-creation studio in Shangling Village, serving as a model for rural ecological development. The studio will combine community-led construction, environmental education and sustainable tourism, providing training for villagers and students in natural building techniques. It will function as a workshop, exhibition space and meeting hub for ongoing research on timber construction, adaptive reuse and cultural heritage preservation – expanding the impact of projects like Zheshui Natural Library and fostering long-term rural resilience through design and collaboration.
- Information for the project text was provided by LUO studio -
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Advisory Committee Statement
‘Zheshui Natural Library’ receives the award for Social Engagement for its deeply integrated approach to architecture, community and landscape, and for its direct commitment to giving children a place to read and learn. Rooted in the existing stone wall of a mountain village, the design honours local building traditions while addressing urgent social needs. The children’s library creates a meaningful public space that merges the ecological with the social, the inside with the outside. Through minimal yet beautiful use of local materials, the structure demonstrates restraint, ingenuity and environmental sensitivity. The stepped wall becomes furniture, the bookshelf becomes structure and every part of the building invites children in. Despite cultural and logistical challenges, the result is powerful in its simplicity – architecture at its most essential and purposeful.