Pingjiang Wonder Bookstore Bookstore

Press Kit

Unique Properties

As the first building amid the city complex turned from old town to the city gateway, we shaped it as a delicately-cut crystal. Dividing the building horizontally into 2 parts, we faceted the upper part and battered the sliced facades by a vertical angle of 4-6 degrees towards the sky as a pioneer, while we fit the transparent lower part into the human scale for better integration into the culturally unique streets. Thus, both parts can naturally merge into the different development stages.

Dimensions & Packaging

Gross Built Area: 1800 Square Meters

Tags

Bookstore, Suzhou, Glass Curtain Wall, Delicately-Cut Crystal, Speculations in a Tiny Space, Reflection, Urban Revival, City Pioneer

Production Technology

The high-reflective glass panels with a dimension of 5m x 1.8m were adopted to compose the external framed curtain wall.

Design Challenge

Challenges arose during the construction of specially designed facade curtain wall, for instance, the stress problem of the apexes that increases the fragility of the glass, and the flattening of glass panels sized 5m x 1.8m, which is larger than normal size. After systematic research and close collaboration, the unique diamond-like exterior took shape eventually.

Project Duration

The bookstore located in 777 Liansheng Rd, Gusu Dist., Suzhou, China, which started and completed in 2018.

Operation Flow

As the very first building in the titanic city complex, it is expected to stand out as a trendy experience center in the mess and pioneer in the new town. After the maturation of the entire city complex project, we hope it can remain culturally unique and serve the local community, merging into their daily life.

Research

According to the law of THE NEGATION OF NEGATION in Science of Logic by Hegel, the result of self-sublation is never nothing but is characterized by new contents and forms. Such dialectic speculation forms the basic design logic for the building. To hide it into 500,000 square meter city complex, or to highlight its independent characteristics within the tiny 1800 square meters? An icy cluster of metal or a soothing piece of jade? Rounds of negations led us to the design eventually.

Inspiration

Rounds of explorations were made to define the facade of the new town pioneer bookstore. The Rose Cut, one of the diamond faceting method in the Renaissance, inspired the combinations of inlaid triangles. The apexes of each triangle glass are tilted in with a specific angle, forming the slight ups and downs on the exterior and reflecting the daily and seasonal variations of the sunlight.

Image Credits

Image #1/#2/#3/#4/#5: Photographer Jianghe Zeng, 2018.

Colors of Pingjiang Wonder Bookstore Bookstore

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