take a cosmic journey in the fangsuo bookstore by chu chih-kang

take a cosmic journey in the fangsuo bookstore by chu chih-kang
images courtesy of chu chih-kang, li guo-min 

the ‘fangsuo bookstore’ by chu chih-kang space design is deeply rooted within the look and feel of secret scripture libraries. found in, around, or beneath buddhist temples for centuries, the bibliotheca have a closely-held meaning of stored wisdom within mandarin chinese language and tradition. during preliminary planning, various historical links were found to exist in the site, such as to the daci temple and xuan zhang of the tang dynasty — one of the most famous monks in buddhism.

entrance 

also important to the design, was that it embody the essence of the sichuan people. the ‘fangsuo bookstore’ is located in chengdu, the capital city of the chinese province, and intentionally points to the slow-paced, relaxed, and social lifestyle of people from the area.

sculptural element

surrounded by written wisdom, chu and team wanted to help lead readers to explore the unknown. the space is packed with imagery of the vast cosmos, with various depictions of constellations and planetary diagrams throughout. the entrance is the most obvious example, which is a massive, meteor-shaped sculptural passage.  the journey through the meteor is designed to release tension, allowing customers to burst forth into the open space with a relaxed mind, open to discovery and enchantment. 

the claustrophobic entrance opens into a wide, spacious bookstore

‘fangsuo bookstore’ interior 

the space is large and open, with imagery of the cosmos densely placed throughout 

alternate view of space 

retail area 

books, entrance in background 

entrance stair detail 

interior overview 

bookshelves 

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