Golden A' Design Award Winner 2020
This Reading space by studio revo and fineland architecture employs the curved bibliothèque as architectural symbol of encompassing knowledge, the shelving structure's embrace suggesting the protective containment of accumulated wisdom within a nurturing spatial envelope. The ascending spiral movement encoded in the shelf arrangement carries archetypal resonance with traditions of spiritual ascent, the tower reaching skyward, the spiral staircase climbing toward enlightenment, the sacred mountain journey upward toward transcendent understanding. The elliptical oculus penetrating the ceiling activates ancient symbolism of the cosmic eye, the aperture to heaven, and the dome as representation of celestial vault, positioning readers beneath a symbolic opening to higher realms of consciousness and comprehension. The hemispherical white form at center introduces the archetype of the seed, the cosmic egg, the primordial form from which growth emerges, grounding the ascending energy with potential for intellectual germination. Color symbolism operates through deliberate juxtaposition: warm timber tones evoke earthly rootedness, natural growth, and organic wisdom accumulated through time, while teal-green accents carry associations with renewal, healing, and the fertile intersection of water and vegetation that enables flourishing life. The integration of garden views through generous glazing reinforces symbolic connections between cultivated landscape and cultivated mind, both representing human stewardship of growth and the patient nurturing required for fruition. The grid of illuminated compartments may suggest the constellation, each glowing rectangle a star of knowledge in an ordered cosmos of understanding, the reader positioned as navigator among celestial wisdom. The circular geometry pervading the design, from curved walls to elliptical oculus to hemispherical sculpture, carries universal symbolic weight as emblem of wholeness, completeness, and cyclical eternal return, suggesting that knowledge acquisition represents participation in perpetual human tradition of learning, teaching, and transmitting understanding across generations.
This space was created to become a creative and casual bookstore where tourists can purchase books, boutique accessories and coffee. The central structure at the entrance visually enhance the customer experience when stepping into the space. To provide independent reading environment, lots of shelves and tables are scattered at the two sides of the central element.