gonverge interior design adds extensive book walls to bookstore-themed shopping mall in china

undergoing a cultural renaissance, the city of xi’an, china, is home to a new bookstore-themed commercial complex designed by lafonce maxone and intervened by gonverge interior design for the interiors. the project offers a lifestyle and an educational experience with multiple business models through its ‘culture and commerce’ design strategy. the 18m-high and 240m-long artistic book walls in the building are striking and pioneering, brining a new model for urban commercial space to the city.

the project is located at an industrial area in the northern, more quiet suburbs of xi’an. when lafonce maxone took over the project, the roughcast architecture had been idle for 3 years. by using the site’s conditions, the designers aimed to present the strength and beauty of the original undecorated architectural structure, which was naturally sunlit.

based on the long, narrow site oriented in the south-north direction and the four-storey-high illuminated atrium, gonverge interior design carried out project orientation planning as well as commercial and spatial design by appealing to all the senses. the designers kept the sunny, original void area, in attempt to produce a monumental entry space. besides, they strengthened and highlighted the features of the slender site, by introducing a smooth circulation path.

the mall was envisioned as a hall of knowledge, with art and literature as the core and the bookstore theme running through the entire space. gonverge interior design embedded two book walls under the diffused natural light, which stretch from south to north. as the largest in china, the book walls give the busy commercial space a sense of culture, which is striking and magnificent.

the two large walls are constructed with steel structures and transparent glass, which enable people to see through and also allows the diffused light from the atrium to come in. readers can walk between the book walls and void area, which becomes a unique scene in the hall.

the nearly 40,000m2 space combines the elements of art, culture and lifestyle, perfectly integrating scene-based reading and commercial functions, and creating an immersive reading environment. it’s a people-oriented place that appeals to the senses, making it the best platform for cultural, creative and designer brands to display their products and ideas.

project info:

architects: lafonce･maxone

interior design: gonverge interior design

spatial design & commercial planning director: han-sheng cheng

designers: hsin-hsuan lu, xin-qiang chen

location: xi’an, china

project category: cultural & commercial complex (shopping mall + bookstore)

area: 36,000 m2

completion time: december 2018

photographer: weiqi jin