Chinese studio Trace Architecture Office has repaired and renovated a historic building in Yunnan, China, to house the Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore.
Trace Architecture Office (TAO) reinvigorated the Weishan Chongzheng Academy, which has a history dating back over 500 years, by creating a space for bookstore chain Librairie Avant-Garde.
Trace Architecture Office transformed a historic academy into a book shop
"Chongzheng Academy was one of the first academies in the history of Yunnan and boasted the most extensive collection of books in the region," TAO associate Sheng Zhong told Dezeen.
"To preserve a wealth of historical information such as colourful paintings, inscriptions, and stone carvings from different periods to the fullest extent possible, we established three principles of 'safety, reversibility, and distinguishability'." The academy's original timber and carved stone structure was restored
Designed to be a "catalyst" to draw both locals and tourists to the old town, the revoted building incorporates much of the original timber and carved stone structure.
At the site's eastern end, TAO replaced two administrative buildings from the 1980s with an elevated concrete volume housing an auditorium and sunken bookshop below, wrapped with full-height glazing to create a new street frontage.
Steel structures containing bookshelves were added to the courtyard
In order to better connect this to the existing structure, the studio adapted...