Dulwich College Seoul Inquiry Hub

Seoul, Korea | 2021
[ AIA International Region Award | SPACE magazine feature | C3 Magazine ]

The Dulwich College Seoul Inquiry Hub is a library and interactive learning environment for primary school children aged 4 to 7. Renovating an outdated children’s library, the project introduces the concept of interior urbanism to create immersive spaces that support creative learning and play. Whereas the original library organized children and books along a low, horizontal plane, the new design activates the existing double-height volume through landscape-like stairs, mezzanines, a hammock, and a central tower, fostering a sense of exploration and individual agency. These nested spatial scales enable diverse social interactions, from intimate one-on-one moments to collective group engagement.

The Inquiry Hub connects to the wider school community through a transparent entry and bay window seating, inviting visibility and participation. Interior elements are strategically arranged to guide students toward the book stacks and an adjacent book mezzanine. This zone creates “future memories” by abstractly referencing urban arcades and historically significant libraries, reinforcing the library as both a cultural and imaginative space. In the double-height multipurpose area, a sculptural landscape stair integrated with bookshelves supports informal gathering, reading, and group activities.

At the center of the library is a two-story tower paired with a suspended hammock, forming a vertical learning and play experience. This added dimension provides access to front-facing books on multiple levels, encouraging intuitive interaction with learning materials. The upper portion of the tower addresses a flexible second-floor classroom used for language learning, technology, crafts, and workshops, extending the Inquiry Hub’s role as a dynamic environment for discovery.