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Architects: ZAO/Zhang Ke Architecture Office
- Area: 894 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Ziling Wang, Qingshan Wu
Text description provided by the architects. Located in Honghe, Yunnan province, approximately 250km south east from Kunming, Mengzi is a border town with a relatively glory history. The Avant-garde Bookstore sits by the Southlake of Mengzi, a beloved public park today, while dating back to WWII, it was the campus of the National Southwest Associated University (NSAU), a prestigious academic group that nourished numerous scholars during the war.
There was originally a group of concrete taverns and a bell tower on the site. ZAO/standardarchitecture selectively preserved part of the buildings and renovated the facades with gray bricks.
The design of the new building is characterized by a rolling serpentine loop—rising from the lakeshore, climbing up the existing hall and bell tower, and coming down back to the lake with a huge horizontal opening.
The journey entwines the existing urban context and the landscape with a simple but spatially diverse sequence.
Entering the courtyard, visitors are led to the roof terrace by an inviting ramp, where a spectacular panoramic view of the city is revealed with the rise and falls of the geometry.
The use of the rough concrete and the natural wood are woven from outdoor to indoor, blurring exterior and interior with sensible sensations.
