A bookstore as a world of experience
The mise-en-scène begins with a dematerialized space enclosed in glass bricks, which Yu Ting calls the ‘Sanctuary of Crystal’. This is where new book releases are suspended on plexiglass displays like museum pieces (F, G). The route then continues through a darkened corridor. In ‘The Cave of Fireflies’ glowing fibre optic cables in alternating colours hang from the ceiling and create a mystical mood (D). Some of the covers of the stacked piles of bestsellers are illuminated as a result. Customers can pick up a copy to browse in the following section, where they suddenly find themselves in an ocean of colour (B, C).
Here, perforated aluminium panels powder-coated in the colours of the rainbow create a cheerful atmosphere. The thin, undulating sheets are folded on the side of the ceiling or wall and suspended from, or screwed directly into, the concrete or floor — a measure that is as economical as it is effective. The largest of the four rooms is illuminated by a glazed facade and designed as an artificial landscape that offers, in addition to long bookshelves, plenty of seating areas and more private spaces allowing people to withdraw and immerse themselves in the books in a totally relaxed way. The architect christened this section ‘the Xanadu of Rainbows’ in reference to Kublai Khan‘s legendary summer residence, which Marco Polo described as a paradisiacal place of peace and tranquility. This is where the café, which contributes significantly to the turnover of the store, is located. ‘The Castle of Innocence’ is the last area and is reserved exclusively for children. Reading grottoes and miniature houses offer playful reading experiences and help arouse enthusiasm for books from a very early age (E).
Orchestrated contrasts
A series of contrasts, between light and dark, square and round, colourful and monochrome, are deliberately orchestrated throughout the store and underline the recurring concept of thesis and antithesis in Yu Ting‘s architecture, which at the end merges into a successful whole. The architect incorporates a multitude of subtle references concurrently into his ‘complex system’ — a term that draws attention to the composition but also to the interwoven functions of bookstore, café and leisure attraction.
Last but not least, the design is strongly experience-oriented and geared towards the importance of social media exploitation, something that is very important in China today. Posting photos of themselves in special spots online has become one of the most popular pastimes of the country’s new and growing middle class. And when one sees a whole family making a pilgrimage to a bookstore in the shopping centre on a Sunday in autumn to record each other for posterity on their mobile phones, drink a cappuccino, maybe buy a souvenir or even a book — then you get the feeling that this is once concept that really works.
