x+living references stalactite caves and rocky landscapes for library in china

x+living was tasked with bringing zhongshuge’s vision to life, ‘to create the most beautiful reading experience space for readers, where they harvest not only wisdom from books, but also the perception and sedimentation of life.’ in turn, the firm created an experiential space that moves guests and readers through landscapes that look as they came out right from the books. the project is located at yun shang fang zhou in the general area of guiyang, china. standing at the commercial plaza, you can recognize the familiar text curtain wall of the famed zhongshuge libraries.

the architects designed the immersive visual experience to start at the cultural and creative corridor. the corridor seems like a portal into another dimension, with the curved bookshelves overhead that are mirrored in the super-reflective floor surface. the light colored wood contrasts against the pitch black room, bringing out the books and library resources to the forefront. the bookstands, designed to look like ships, feature rounded bases and a metal arch that holds the lighting. these stands are meant to match the flowing sensation of moving across the corridor.

the corridor leads guests to the boutique reading area, which features more intimate study rooms. each study room is a classic book treasury, meant for guests to get immersed and enjoy the readings. each squared shelf includes desks and chairs for rest, to provide a more relaxing atmosphere in one of the spaces.

traveling through mountainous bookshelves, stalactite grotto- designed to imitate the rocky, karst landforms, the bookshelves are intertwined and wind along the room’s length. the mirrored ceiling and reflective floor elongate the bookshelves, seeming as endless geometries. the towering bookstacks lead guests to the lecture hall.

various types of wood and warm lighting set the atmosphere for the lecture hall. the designers attempted to imitate terrace fields by staggering the seating. more bookshelves surround the space, and once again the reflective ceiling makes the space seem infinite. the lecture hall appears as a monumental space, with the stage in the the center.

the library also includes the children’s library and the leisure area. the latter is a quiet, white reading room where the bookshelves are arranged in rows. they become narrower as they go up, and are reflected by the glass surface on the ceiling, emulating a stalactite grotto. the rows of bookshelves are slightly rotated, appearing to move.