| Title |
Changes in Spatial Design in Public Library Lobby Remodeling from the Perspective of the Third Place |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.14774/JKIID.2026.35.4.172 |
| Keywords |
Public Library; The Third Place; Remodeling; Lobby; Placeness |
| Abstract |
Recently, public libraries have been evolving from their traditional role?centered on reading and borrowing materials ?into multifunctional cultural spaces where local residents can spend time, communicate, and interact on a daily basis. Accordingly, the role of the lobby is expanding beyond that of a mere passageway to become a space that supports lingering and interaction. This study aims to specify the characteristics of Oldenburg’s “third place” as criteria for analyzing the spatial design of public library lobbies and to investigate how the spatial conditions supporting the “third place” have changed by comparing and analyzing the spatial transformations of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s Gocheok Library before and after its remodeling. To this end, we examined the spatial meanings of the eight characteristics proposed by Oldenburg and compared and reviewed relevant prior research to derive five overarching analytical criteria?accessibility, openness, interactivity, dwellability, and placeness?along with detailed analytical indicators. The analysis revealed that accessibility improved conditions for movement and perception through the expansion of connecting passageways and increased line of sight, while openness strengthened physical and visual continuity through the reduction of solid walls and the expansion of transparent boundaries. Interactivity expanded conditions supporting conversation and participatory activities through the introduction of face-to-face seating and experiential spaces, and dwellability was enhanced by creating an environment that encourages spontaneous lingering through the provision of diverse seating and rest areas.
Placeness was found to have maintained the symbolic significance of the space and the continuity of memory by preserving the existing water features. Based on these results, future remodeling of lobbies in aging public libraries should be planned to prioritize connectivity that supports movement and cognition, the softening of physical and visual boundaries, spatial configurations that facilitate face-to-face and experiential activities, the provision of diverse ways to linger, and the preservation of the existing space’s symbolic significance and memories. |