yang’s school area is located at the intersection of the two streams in the shang ping village of fujian province, china,  where two main trails dispatch from the entrance. according to zhu xi, a national historian, he has lectured in yang’s school and created great poems as well as calligraphy here. the goal is to transform this historical site into a tourist spot and unveil the great history of shang ping village. the design includes a few deserted agricultural buildings, such as utility rooms, cowsheds and barns. 3andwich design hopes to transform the original buildings into a bookstore which provides space for tourists to learn about the history and culture of the village. meanwhile, it also provides locals, especially children, with a place to acquire knowledge from the outside world.

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
all images by zhou meng

 

 

by using the characteristics of the original space, chinese based studio 3andwich design has defined the new building as a combination of ‘live and calm’. ‘live’ refers to the sales area in the bookstore which used to be the utility room. it is a relatively active space where exchanging books and sales activities happen periodically. also, cultural products designed by the team are sold at this corner. the reading bar is regarded as a cultural window connecting the village to the world outside. visitors can get to know more about the village while local residents see the outside from a physical window — a full height glass door facing to the village — and psychological one. it is called the ‘guang-yue granary bookstore’.

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
the goal is to transform this historical site into a tourist spot and unveil the great history of shang ping village

 

 

on the opposite side of the building, the original surface across the stream is a solid wall with a high window on it. however, the landscape is so nice to be seen from the building that 3andwich design has added a platform inside, on which people enjoy the view. this design principle maintains the existing relationship between interior and exterior. thus, when people stay inside, the nearby stream is kept invisible for enjoying its sound only. if visitors still want to see the stream, one step on the platform makes it a great difference. a full-height glass window is embedded on the other side of the building to generate a new relationship with its neighbor, the village, to provide a great solution for natural light.

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
the design includes a few deserted agricultural buildings, such as utility rooms, cowsheds and barns

 

 

‘calm’ refers to reading and meditation — ‘jing-ya’. it is a space transformed from the former cowsheds. the identity of this area, connected but separated from top to bottom, is special to be kept. the lower level enclosed by rubble used to be a dark and narrow living space for cows, while the narrow wooden-made upper level was used for forage. the two levels are separated spatially, but connected logically in function. maintaining this spatial character but elevating the upper ‘wood house’, it turns out to be a new home for readers since the first floor is higher and gets more natural light. nothing could disturb this quiet and enclosed space except the penetrating sunlight. the solid rubble wall on the first floor has been maintained.

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
the solid rubble wall on the first floor has been maintained

 

 

soft versus hard, warm versus cold and new versus old are co-existing in a dramatic space. 3andwich design has re-defined the second floor accordingly: three rooms are integrated into one with an atrium up to half size floor area. glass panels are installed over the atrium to create more transparency. the forage room is still designed to be lower in height and must be entered from the outside by a ladder. this kind of ‘uncomfortableness’ is intentionally emphasized, creating a sense of slowness and primitivity. the design is trying to allow people to get a monkish experience, to experience the space with cautiousness. thus, all readers that come here would retrospect the relationship between human, space and nature without any disturbance of modern life.

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
all readers that come here would retrospect the relationship between human, space and nature

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
if visitors want to see the stream, one step on the platform makes it a great difference

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
provides locals, especially children, with a place to acquire knowledge from the outside world

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
the lower level enclosed by rubble used to be a dark and narrow living space for cows

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
a relatively active space where exchanging books and sales activities happen periodically

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
the two levels are separated spatially, but connected logically in function

3andwich maintains rubble from chinese barn and transforms it into wooden bookstore
nothing could disturb this quiet and enclosed space except the penetrating sunlight

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom