A once-neglected office space has been metamorphosed into a breathtaking bookstore soaring over China's marshlands.
In the heart of Hangzhou's wetlands, Atelier Wen'Arch has breathed new life into a 20-year-old office building, transforming it into the Xixi Goldmye Bookstore. This architectural marvel, completed in April 2025, is a testament to innovative renovation and a harmonious relationship between books, architecture, and nature.
The U-shaped structure of the bookstore now opens generously to its natural setting, the Xixi National Wetland Park. The transformation required dismantling the existing roof and wall systems completely, replaced by a new "book beams" system made of laminated pine timber intersecting original concrete columns. These beams not only bring natural warmth and structural poetry to the interior but also integrate lighting and air conditioning, enhancing the human scale and framing views of the wetland landscape visible from every reading area.
Key features of the transformation include the retention of original concrete columns as structural anchors, while removing all other old office finishes. The laminated timber book beams cantilever rhythmically through the interior, creating a sense of warmth and rhythm. Two distinct architectural interventions anchor the bookstore's identity: The Book Tower in the southwest corner, with stacked mezzanines around a concealed steel I-beam grid, creating intimate, multi-level reading spaces; and a waterside pavilion with sloped roofs and recessed seating, directly engaging the wetland environment.
The waterside pavilion uses sloped roofs and recessed seating to engage directly with the wetland, allowing visitors to read while observing water birds and marsh landscapes. The water courtyard, once a disconnected space, now serves as a reflecting pool that brings the sky and clouds into the ground plane.
The Xixi Goldmye Bookstore succeeds in creating a unique public space that serves the community while respecting its delicate wetland setting. Visitors move through spaces that feel suspended between earth and sky, with wetland sounds and scents drifting through open windows. Reading in the Xixi Goldmye Bookstore feels like a form of meditation due to its floating quality.
The bookstore covers an area of 880 square meters and is a rare example of a public space that serves the community while respecting its delicate wetland setting. It is a fine example of how renovation can be more transformative than new construction when architects approach existing buildings with imagination. Lead architect Shen Wen's team created a public space that serves the community while respecting its delicate wetland setting, making the Xixi Goldmye Bookstore a striking example of architectural transformation focused on experience and environment rather than mere functionality.
- The innovative transformation of the Xixi Goldmye Bookstore also includes a home-and-garden section, showcasing various plants and flowers that accentuate the harmonious relationship between books, architecture, and nature.
- To further enrich the community, the Xixi Goldmye Bookstore hosts a variety of events, such as book readings, art exhibitions, and lifestyle workshops, fostering a vibrant and sustainable lifestyle within the heart of Hangzhou's wetlands.
