I like the idea of having an abandoned building turned into something useful and functional rather than letting the building ‘dies’ off, neglected by the society or awaiting demolition. It would be much interesting if there is an involvement of contemporary addition to an existing abandoned building of classical style to give a new life to the building despite the changing function. Architecture hence comes in a very unique play and contrasting approach here, and this bookstore I recently found out matched all those aspects mentioned earlier.
I discovered this bookstore from a post shared by my friend from Facebook and I find it to be very interesting; a contemporary designed bookstore that fits perfectly well inside an old church which created the effect of opposing aesthetics that turned out to be pretty well received. It adds religious experience into the reading atmosphere, while the space maintains the church’s structure and in the same time invites the modern innovative design of the bookstore. I wished to go there and check out on my own.
So, I am really interested over this kind of project and I hope more of it to come, possibly becoming a new architectural trend all over the world. So, I decided to repost of what I have read from this source (http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/merkx-girod-selexyz-dominicanen-maastricht-bookstore-church), describing how the bookstore fits well into the church through innovative design that caught my surprise and attention.
We’ve seen some breathtaking libraries in the past and this bookstore is no exception when it comes to innovative design. One branch of the popular Dutch bookstore chain Selexyz can be found right inside of a 13th century Dominican church in Maastricht, Holland. The project known as Selexyz Dominicanen Maastricht, designed by architecture firm Merkx + Girod, exemplifies a brilliant union between the opposing aesthetics. The space maintains the church’s architectural structure and definitive design attributes while inviting the contemporary stylings of a modern bookstore.
Built in 1294, the cathedral features large open spaces boasting three-story bookshelves. Being that the church contains 1,200 square meters of shopping space with only 750 square meters of floor space, the architects decided to design vertically. They incorporate the modern scheme of the shop without obstructing the religious motifs or structure of the ancient venue. Within the space, there is also a cafe. As a nod to the bookstore’s past-life, there is a long table shaped like a cross in the eating area, which is conveniently located where the choir formerly situated themselves.
(More pictures from the original source: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/merkx-girod-selexyz-dominicanen-maastricht-bookstore-church)
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