At first, books were kept in chests but as they became published in bulk they moved into the cupboard. The doors came off and the bookcase began to evolve. Today, bookcases can be integral architectural elements that shape space and, in some cases, even light. In celebration of International Day of the Book on April 23rd, ArchDaily compiled this round-up of architecturally, innovative bookcases.
Scroll down to see inventive architectural book storage from Alberto Kalach, ARCHSTUDIO, Toyo Ito, and more.
Jose Vasconcelos Library / Alberto Kalach
Tianjin Binhai Library / MVRDV + Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute
Underground Forest in Onepark Gubei / Wutopia Lab
Beyazıt State Library / Tabanlioglu Architects
Tama Art University Library / Toyo Ito & Associates
Bookshelf House / Shinsuke Fujii Architects
Altlife Bookstore in Ningbo / Kokaistudios
Tongling New Library / yue-design
Rong Bao Zhai Coffee Bookstore / ARCHSTUDIO
CREC Sales Pavilion & Library / Van Wang Architects
Conarte Bookstore / Anagrama
Haitang Villa / ARCHSTUDIO
The City of the Books and the Images / Taller 6A
Story Pod / Atelier Kastelic Buffey
Eaves House / mA-style architects
Enclave Book Pavilion / Aether Architects
