The brick-and-mortar bookstore, a business model that’s become endangered over the past few decades thanks to massive online booksellers, has all but disappeared in many parts of the world. In some areas, it’s quietly faded into the background, becoming so obscure that only a few patrons wander in now and then. Even when someone does enter, it’s mainly for a dose of nostalgia.
In Shanghai, Chinese architectural firm Wutopia Lab has bravely chosen to turn an entire historical building into a bookstore, transforming the four-story structure into not just a sanctuary for learning and thinking, but a symbolic map of the human psyche.
The architects say of the project: “Sinan Books is seen as a person with a system of acquiring knowledge while discovering oneself and the surrounding, considering one’s mind, thoughts, perception, and subconscious. The entrance features a red arcade, indicating Sinan Books’ attitude of openness. Different hues of green [offset] the exhibition spaces while the gold of the reading room is a hidden surprise.” They add that the black and white design on the top floor was chosen to “encourage one to face oneself.?
Finishing Touches
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