The project site for the Gwangju City Main Library is a garbage incineration site at the northern end of the Sangmu cultural complex belt with an image of a neglected, abandoned low-quality industrial district which neither serves the public, nor contributes to the expansion of the cultural value and diversity of the district.

The aim of the project is to regenerate the site to create a complex platform for cultural diversity while maintaining the imagery of cylindrical industrial facilities and silos. The cylindrical structures of the soon-to-be-demolished buildings are preserved and gentrified, together with the tower of the heat supply facility and the Sangmu Incinerator, in order to turn the site to a public interaction spot. The proposed building is a single, rhythmic landmark that manages to form active linkages with all the facilities on the site by generating public spaces as well as the reserved adjacent sites and the Gwangju stream on the north. This future city main library aims to not only be a place to read books, but also a place for creativity, communication and solidarity.

The repetitive cylindrical form of the building provides flexible and convertible interior planning. This rhythmic modularity allows the functional areas of the library to change and expand if needed in the future.  The semi-circular facade modules serve many different functions such as cultural education spaces, exhibition areas, common space areas and material rooms. There are a variety of uses proposed for these modules such as reading areas, book shelves, exhibition stands, multi-purpose rooms, private offices, circulation shafts, etc.