ISABELLE LEE
Multidisciplinary Designer &  Strategist


→ Currently
At the Harvard University Graduate School of Design  
A Design Researcher at the MIT AgeLab
Member of the 2025-26 Climate Leaders at Harvard University

→ Previously
Architectural Designer turned Creative Strategist.

Shaped by radical speculation at Cook Haffner (Peter Cook, Archigram), ecological rigor at Henning Larsen, social impact at TEN-Arquitectos, and experiential storytelling at Rockwell Group. I bring a multi-lens strategic lens to complex, human-centered design challenges.

Imaginative spirit cultivated at the Rhode Island School of Design


About
CV
Work
Case Studies
The Field

HEFEI LIBRARYDesigning Third Spaces for the Digital Age

Project Details

Location
Hefei, China

Timeline
8 Weeks

Typology
Library, Education

Team
Lead Design Architect
Junior Designer

Role
Project Management
Strategy Lead

Responsibilities
Stakeholder Engagement
Technical Coordination
Spatial Experience Strategy
Narrative & Storyboarding Concept Design








Overview


The Challenge

In an era of digital ubiquity, how do you redefine the physical library to remain a vital urban asset?

The challenge was to move beyond the traditional "silent archive" and create a dynamic cognitive landscape. How can we design a library that bridges the gap between the natural environment and the contemporary urban fabric while serving as a sanctuary for social and intellectual exchange? The Approach

Positioned as a "Third Space" for the digital age, the design uses a "spatial dialogue" framework to connect the interior experience with the surrounding urban fabric.

We curated distinct "atmospheric zones"—from high-energy collaborative "gorges" to silent sanctuaries—to support the evolution of modern knowledge consumption. The Impact

Transformed the traditional library into a 24/7 civic catalyst that increases social ROI through an accessible public roofscape and landscape-driven wayfinding. The design achieves a measurable boost in cognitive well-being by optimizing natural light and sensory "deep work" environments.
Design




Exterior Rendering
The Vision

Redefining the library as a "Third Space" where the fluidity of nature meets the evolution of urban knowledge. The Library is designed as a living dialogue between the city and the lake. By extracting the metaphors of "the softness of paper" and "the texture of water," the architecture moves beyond a static container for books to become a sensory "ocean of knowledge" that awakens new cognitive experiences for the contemporary citizen.


Exterior Rendering


Project Goals

Curate a "Fluid Path" for Knowledge Discovery
The Goal: To move away from the rigid, siloed layout of traditional libraries and create a space that encourages serendipitous discovery.


Establish an "Urban Dialogue" via Visual Anchors
The Goal: To integrate the building into the city’s urban fabric by creating a continuous visual exchange with its surroundings.


Design for Temporal Awareness and Well-being
The Goal: To harness natural elements (light, shadow, and water) to create a "biophilic sanctuary" that enhances cognitive performance.


Create a 24/7 "Civic Living Room
The Goal: To extend the library’s value beyond its operating hours by transforming the roof and ground floor into a permanent public asset.

Ground Floor Spatial Strategy

The design transition the library from a "static destination" to an "urban thoroughfare" integrated into the city’s social fabric.

Porous Urbanism: Replaced traditional thresholds with multi-directional entries to eliminate "barriers to entry" and increase spontaneous foot traffic

Social Axis: Conceptualized ‘Social Axis’ as a continuation of the ground plane, extending the public realm into the building.

Commercial Synergy: Integrated visitor services and retail into the main hall to drive vibrancy and support long-term operational viability

Public Activation: Bridged the gap between indoor intellectual space and outdoor civic life, functioning as a "landscape continuation."

Optimized Social ROI: Transformed the site into a high-access urban node, significantly increasing community engagement metrics.






Interior Experience

Reading Zones

Framed Views as Wayfinding

 The diagram shows a clear hierarchy of movement through the ‘social staircases’. The design prioritizes "line-of-sight" navigation, reducing the need for traditional signage and allowing the architecture itself to guide the user journey. The Active Periphery (Social Hub):

Positioned along the facade to maximize natural daylight and views, these "Open Reading Zones" are designed as informal lounges and collaborative nodes. By placing high-energy activities at the building’s edge, we activate the facade and foster a visible sense of community. The Protected Core (Deep Work):

Located inward from the primary circulation path, the "Quiet Zones" leverage spatial distance and low-shelving partitions to create acoustic buffers. This "Heart of the Library" is reserved for individual focus and intimate engagement with the collections, providing a sanctuary away from the social bustle of the atrium


The Experience Gradient:

Beyond traditional programming,  the design utilized multi-sensory specifications leveraging variable light temperatures and acoustic 'buzz' to optimize cognitive flow.

This layout serves as a spatial engine for 'Cognitive ROI,' ensuring that every user -- from the fleeting social observer to the deep-work researcher, is supported by a micro-environment precision-tuned to their physiological and psychological needs.

The Collaborative Hub - High Activity Community Spaces
The Sanctuary - Focused Reading Areas



The Public Stage - Social Staircases

Transforming vertical transition into a "Social Infrastructure" that acts as the building’s primary catalyst for community engagement and unplanned collaboration.






From Silos to EcosystemsTraditional libraries use Compartmentalization, which creates a static, "one-way" relationship with information. Our design strategy for the Library was to transition toward an Integrated Ecosystem.

Designing for Chance Encounters

Blurring Boundaries:
By integrating reading zones with activity areas, we allow for "cross-generational learning," where children of different ages can observe and inspire one another.
Designing for Serendipity:
The layout is intentionally non-linear to encourage ‘chance encounters’ - the unplanned moments of interaction that fosters community and curiosity.



The Infinity Loop - Main Library Circulation


To move beyond static programming, the design utilized an "Infinity Loop" circulation framework. This diagram illustrates the strategic orchestration of user movement, designed to maximize programmatic "collisions".








Designing Key Touchpoints (User Experience Journey)





Programmatic Distribution


In order to create a dynamic community hub, we propose a design based on different user experiences and a hybrid mix of programs. The design mixes a variety of programs organized through a user-centric space planning strategy over different floors of the library. The programmatic organization throughout the floors is focused on the intersection between the library’s different public users and employees, ensuring the individual needs and demands of the citizens are met. Through a user oriented approach, the design is adaptive, inclusive and organic.


Gallery

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