![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d10/3312/fd58/9c00/03d9/newsletter/07_书店全景_©陈颢_Overall_view_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917126)
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Architects: TAO - Trace Architecture Office
- Area: 397 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Hao Chen, Yuxing Zhuo
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/598a/3312/fd58/9c00/03d6/newsletter/02_鸟瞰_©卓育兴_Aerial_view_©ZHUO_Yuxing.jpg?1578916224)
Text description provided by the architects. Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde is located in the north side of Xiadi Village, Pingnan, Fujian, surrounded by paddy fields. The building was a long-abandoned local residence, with three rammed earth walls that remained intact and a few dilapidated courtyard walls at the time the architect arrived.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography, Aerial View Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5995/3312/fd68/4500/0196/newsletter/01_鸟瞰_©卓育兴_Aerial_view_©ZHUO_Yuxing.jpg?1578916236)
Most part of the new construction is hidden inside the remnants of the old house and so it seems as if nothing has happened from the outside, demonstrating great respect for the history of the local area and the overall natural landscape of the village. The remnants serve as a container that wraps around the new construction, which is made of concrete and steel, forming a dialogue between the contemporary and the traditional.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Image 35 of 49](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5227/3312/fd58/9c00/03be/newsletter/02_1比25建筑模型_1_to_25_Physical_Model_02.jpg?1578914329)
Internally, two kinked concrete walls form the main structure of the building, while two cantilevered floor slabs spread throughout the space and connect with the rammed earth walls at the corners, providing structural stability. Edges of the floor slabs are detached from the rammed earth wall to let light in through the skylight.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Wood, Shelving](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d9a/3312/fd58/9c00/03de/newsletter/17_一层阅读区_©陈颢_First_floor_reading_area_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917264)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Wood, Shelving](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5daa/3312/fd58/9c00/03df/newsletter/18_二层阅读区_©陈颢_Second_floor_reading_area_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917280)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Brick](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5dee/3312/fd58/9c00/03e1/newsletter/23_光影下的夯土墙_©陈颢_Rammed_earth_wall_under_the_light_and_shadow_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917347)
An enclosed and introverted book-display area is formed between the new concrete structure and the rammed earth walls. A theatre space, which is the largest internal space in the building, is defined between the two book-display walls, becoming an unexpected surprise for the visitors after experiencing the cramped spaces up front.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Stairs, Wood, Shelving](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d7c/3312/fd68/4500/019d/newsletter/15_集会空间_©陈颢_Gathering_space_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917236)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Image 49 of 49](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5276/3312/fd68/4500/0184/newsletter/04_长剖面模型_Longitudinal_section_rendering.jpg?1578914413)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Wood, Brick, Shelving](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d8a/3312/fd58/9c00/03dd/newsletter/16_集会空间_©陈颢_Gathering_space_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917247)
An extroverted café space is situated in the cantilevered part at the west end, which is the only overflow part from the remnant wall envelope, providing visitors with an unparalleled view of the entire village and the paddy fields.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Dining room, Wood](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e25/3312/fd58/9c00/03e4/newsletter/27_咖啡厅_©陈颢_Café_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917404)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Image 40 of 49](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/58e0/3312/fd58/9c00/03d3/newsletter/03_剖面草图_©华黎_Section_sketch_©HUA_Li.jpg?1578916053)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography, Wood, Beam](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e16/3312/fd58/9c00/03e3/newsletter/26_咖啡厅_©陈颢_Café_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917388)
At the centre of the building, a steel column penetrates through the concrete structure and supports an umbrella-shaped roof on top of it. The position and geometric form of the roof structure indicate the original roof typology of the old house. The roof provides visitors with a sheltered space and a high point to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, like a pavilion rising from the field.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d5f/3312/fd68/4500/019c/newsletter/13_二层中心空间_©陈颢_Second_floor_central_space_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917205)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography, Stairs, Wood](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e3f/3312/fd68/4500/01a2/newsletter/29_伞型结构_©陈颢_Umbrella-shaped_roof_structure.jpg?1578917430)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e5b/3312/fd58/9c00/03e7/newsletter/31_屋顶夹层平台与伞形结构_©陈颢_Roof_mezzanine_platform_and_the_double-sloped_roof_structure_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917458)
The umbrella-shaped structure is cantilevered through the primary beam, and the loads are transferred to the only single steel column, bringing the gravitational loads down to the centroid of the building. The steel channels at the four corners hold the roof structure in place for assuring lateral stability, and also allowing rainwater to flow back to the centre through the inward-sloping concrete roof slab, achieving another form of Si Shui Gui Tang.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e4c/3312/fd58/9c00/03e6/newsletter/30_屋顶夹层平台与伞形结构_©陈颢_Roof_mezzanine_platform_and_the_double-sloped_roof_structure_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917443)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e65/3312/fd68/4500/01a3/newsletter/32_屋顶夹层平台与伞形结构_©陈颢_Roof_mezzanine_platform_and_the_double-sloped_roof_structure_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917469)
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5e73/3312/fd68/4500/01a4/newsletter/33_屋顶夹层平台_©陈颢_Roof_mezzanine_platform_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917483)
Light enters through the gap between the concrete slabs and the rammed earth walls from top, and fully depicts the rustication of the rammed earth walls at some point. Local carbonized pine from Pingnan is used for the concrete formworks, creating a rough yet delicate texture and forming a dialogue between new construction and remnants with the historic rammed earth walls.
![Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5e1c/5d03/3312/fd68/4500/0198/newsletter/06_水田中的书店_©陈颢__The_bookstore_in_the_paddy_fields_©CHEN_Hao.jpg?1578917116)