Tianjin Binhai Library

Spectacular futuristic library with a 33-metre spherical atrium ringed by white bookshelves

The Tianjin Binhai Library, designed by Dutch firm MVRDV and opened in 2017, is one of the most extraordinary public buildings in China. The centrepiece is a vast spherical auditorium wrapped in concentric rings of white bookshelves that climb from floor to ceiling on all sides, creating a dizzying, almost surreal interior. The building went viral worldwide shortly after opening.

The library is part of the Binhai Cultural Centre development, about 50 km east of central Tianjin in the Binhai New Area. Getting here takes about an hour from the city centre by metro and bus or taxi, so visiting makes most sense combined with other Binhai destinations. The building is free to enter and genuinely worth the journey for anyone interested in architecture — the interior is even more striking in person than in photographs.

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A story
The shelves that wrap the atrium walls hold over a million books — but most of the spines visible from the floor are actually aluminium-printed facsimiles, not real books. The real collection is stored behind them on traditional shelving. When this became public knowledge in 2018, Chinese social media erupted in outrage, and the library issued an explanation that the real books would warp in the humidity near the curved glass ceiling.