📚World's Largest Library: Bold Beyond Books!

Welcome back to PropTech Pool. 🌊

This week we start with a question: What should the world’s largest library feel like?

In Beijing, the answer is not “dusty and silent.” It’s solar-powered, tree-filled, and built to spark curiosity. And if a library can be this bold — why do we still accept so little ambition in most of our public spaces?

Also in the deep end:

• 🚀 Riyadh’s Rise Tower + flying-car hype — where architecture starts selling fiction.

• 🏘️ Floating homes in Copenhagen — where shipping containers get a second life.

• 🎟️ CREtech London is nearly here → don’t forget to claim your ticket with a 20% discount code inside.

Let’s dive in. 🏊‍♂️

🏙️ Beijing’s Boldest Building Isn’t a Skyscraper

The new Beijing City Library, officially the largest library in the World, designed by the Norwegian architects Snøhetta, is a 75,000 m² building that feels more like a futuristic campus than a traditional library. With tree-like columns, terraced floors, and a roof that doubles as a solar farm, it's as much a spectacle as a sanctuary for readers.

At the heart lies the largest climatized reading room on Earth, a stepped valley of books, light, and silence. Above it, a glowing glass canopy floats like a paper lantern, softening the border between nature and structure.

Its form nods to Frank Lloyd Wright and Shanghai's Art Deco, but avoids nostalgia. It dares to ask: What if learning could be spatially exciting?

Why it’s bold:

• Design that Does Something: The ginkgo-like columns aren’t just pretty. They distribute light, funnel air, and manage rainwater. No greenwashing here, form follows function.

• Space That Teaches: Books aren't hidden. They’re part of the journey. The terraced layout encourages wandering, pausing, and discovery. VR labs and robotic systems remind you this isn't your grandfather’s library.

• Sustainability With Receipts: 15,000 m³ of water is saved yearly. Carbon emissions capped at 15 kg CO₂e/m². Certified GBEL Three Star. It’s green because it had to be, and that should be the norm, not the news.

🎟️ Join us at CREtech London!

🤖 Rising Towers and Flying Cars: Tech Dream or Mirage?

In Riyadh’s skyline, Rise Tower by Foster + Partners is climbing fast — a sculptural spike that will soon claim the city’s tallest title. Around it, developers are dreaming even higher: 122 landing pads for flying cars are being planned in the nearby Qiddiya district. Bold visions, no doubt. But are we seeing innovation — or theatre?

Architecture as Interface
Rise Tower is marketed as a vertical city: homes, offices, retail and hospitality stacked into a single smart ecosystem. It promises seamless tech integration. Yet, as is often the case with "smart" buildings, the precise innovations remain blurry. AI-driven energy systems? Predictive maintenance? Resident apps? We’d love to know. For now, it’s a compelling promise — whether the execution matches remains to be seen.

Flying Cars on the Drawing Board
Meanwhile, Qiddiya’s masterplan includes flying car infrastructure, even though commercial fleets, traffic systems and aviation regulations are still years away from catching up. Is this planning for the future or a high-concept sales pitch? Time will tell.

Proptech’s Role: Signal or Noise?
What we find interesting here is how the term “proptech” gets stretched. Originally about solving real-world problems — better data, more efficient buildings, smoother operations — it risks getting entangled with spectacle. Tech should serve users, not just headlines. A healthy dose of scepticism helps: admire the ambition, but keep an eye on the actual tech being delivered.

♻️ Floating Communities of the Future

Have you ever wanted to wake up and have your coffee next to the water? How about diving straight in from your window or terrace? Urban Rigger’s floating container communities in Copenhagen are making this a reality, showing that shipping containers can do more than just transport goods, they can be reused for sustainable and community-led living.

What’s the breakthrough?

• Reimagined Shipping Containers: These repurposed containers are transformed into stylish, energy-efficient homes, floating on urban waterways. It’s not just about novelty, it’s about giving new life to materials that would otherwise go unused.

• Sustainable, Off-Grid Living: Designed with renewable energy, efficient water management, and shared green spaces, slashing environmental impact.

• Community at the Core: These floating neighborhoods are built for connection, with shared amenities and communal areas that encourage residents to live, work, and play together, all while reducing urban sprawl and protecting precious land resources.

Our Take:
Urban Rigger’s communities show that sustainability can also mean how you bring people together. By reimagining shipping containers as floating homes, they’re setting a new standard for eco-conscious, community-driven living, proving that the future of cities can be both green and deeply connected.