White Performance

2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 00:53

Following their rainbow-colored interior of the Zhongshu bookstore in Suzhou, Wutopia Lab architects have implemented another store for the same customer in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, which is now experiencing an “urban renaissance”.

In order to effectively furnish the purchase of the book, the architects made, despite the risk and laboriousness of such a solution, the openings in the ceilings between the fourth and fifth floors. The first of them contains a staircase leading to the store, reminiscent of the spiral tower of Babel, the second is covered with glass, on which is placed a stand for the only "Book of the Month": therefore, this copy can only be viewed by one reader at a time.

The shelves for books and their supporting structure are made of steel; the back wall for ten-tier shelving is translucent acrylic panels. Curving white “shop windows” contrast with the brightly colored covers; the absence of right angles creates the impression of a theatrical performance, far from everyday life.

The children's department is decorated with a map of the starry world, city skylines, images of animals. The main shopping area is designed for liveliness, as is the cafe - so the corridor leading from the bookstore to the cinema, decorated with motives from modern films, seems natural.