A remarkable transformation has taken place at the northern entrance of Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou, China, where architects from Atelier Wen'Arch have converted a 20-year-old office building into an innovative bookstore that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings. The Xixi Goldmye Bookstore, completed in 2025, represents a stunning example of adaptive reuse architecture that respects both cultural heritage and environmental context.

The original structure was a U-shaped symmetrical building with complex functional spaces housed within an intricate volume. Elevated above the wetland, the building featured a closed and negative water courtyard surrounded by three wings. The architectural challenge was significant: how to transform this institutional structure into a welcoming public space that would serve as both a bookstore and a cultural destination.

Lead architect Shen Wen, working with design team members Wang Weishi, Yi Shihao, and Sun Huizhong, approached the project with a philosophy of structural disintegration and reconstruction. The design process involved stripping away all enclosing walls to reveal what remained: a set of disordered concrete frame structures. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, the architects viewed it as an opportunity to impose a new spatial order.

The renovation strategy centered on creating a horizontally connected space that embraces the water courtyard. The first floor was planned as an integrated environment where the longitudinal main space on the west side houses the book display and sales area, while the north wing serves as a coffee reading area. The south wing accommodates a reading salon, which connects to a landscaped terrace on the second floor via an external staircase.

One of the most innovative aspects of the design is the introduction of a timber double-beam system that responds to the original 66-meter structural grid. Each timber double-beam continuously clamps the rows of concrete columns, establishing a horizontal spatial order that is perpendicular to the water courtyard and connects the interior and exterior of the U-shaped configuration. These structural glued laminated pine beams are anchored to the concrete columns via concealed plate joints while cantilevering outward at various points.

The gaps between the double beams serve a dual purpose, functioning as integrated channels for air-conditioning return and column-aligned lighting systems. This clever integration of mechanical systems with architectural elements demonstrates the project's commitment to both functionality and aesthetic coherence.

Within the horizontal spatial fields formed by the timber beams, the architects introduced two vertical spatial interventions that create dramatic focal points. The first is an elevated 'Book Tower' inserted into the tall volume at the southwest corner. This remarkable feature consists of two rings of stacked and nested mezzanines that form a theater-like pattern in section. The staggered levels create intimate sit-and-read spaces at varying heights, while a strategically placed window facing east frames distant views of greenery from the wetland.

The mezzanine structure within the book tower breaks conventional floor slab treatments. A grid of steel beams in a crisscross layout is suspended between the concrete columns to form the mezzanine structure. The top surfaces of the I-beams are flush with the wooden flooring, allowing them to read visually as horizontal elements that share the same material quality as the timber beams. At the end of the longitudinal space, the beams cascade downward in layered sequences, creating a natural channel for light to filter through the space.

The second major intervention is the Sunken Waterside Pavilion, which replaced the original irregular glass volume facing the water courtyard with a single-sloped roof. The architects fully utilized the geometric power generated by the diagonal line of the floor plan, naturally forming a sloped roof that gradually lowers in section. Part of the original floor slab was removed to create a sunken area close to the water, and the combination of the lowered roof and sunken floor creates a 'waterside pavilion' that integrates seamlessly with the wetland environment.

The recessed stepped seating in this area offers a unique reading field facing the wetland, allowing people to sit on three sides and experience the natural environment while engaging with books. At the turning point of the U-shaped plan, the pavilion is 'ceded' to the water courtyard, which not only produces a horizontal directional twist in the interior space but also introduces a vertical force guiding toward the wetland's water surface.

Material choices throughout the project reflect careful consideration of the wetland environment. The roof of the waterside pavilion is clad in gray titanium-zinc panels, while the ceiling is uniformly sprayed with silver metallic paint. This design emphasizes the spatial power of the sloping roof as an object pressing down on the water while highlighting the subtle response of the silver material to ambient light reflection, creating an ideal backdrop for capturing and presenting the shimmering textures of natural water ripples.

The architects drew inspiration from traditional Chinese architecture, specifically referencing the Yingzao Fashi, which records a type of Song-style waterfront eave decorative architectural component called 'zhangri ta' (sun-shading screen). The design represents a contemporary reinterpretation of this traditional prototype through suspended secondary eaves. The timber beams break through the architectural boundary, cantilevering outward, while secondary eaves are hung from the timber beams by upward tension rods, with downward slanted rods in the center providing additional support.

These secondary eaves serve two critical functions. First, they regulate interior lighting by blocking harsh direct sunlight while the silver-toned canopy reflects soft diffused light, creating a comfortable indoor reading environment. Second, they adjust the spatial scale of the interior by blocking visual disturbances from passing tourists along the Fudi and buildings on both sides of the water courtyard, guiding the interior gaze downward toward the wetland water and reinforcing the spatial perception of the building floating above water.

Perhaps the most innovative feature of the bookstore is the 'Interlaced Book-Beams' system. Working in collaboration with structural engineer Zhang Zhun, the architects created a unique structural installation where bookshelves function as specific structural elements that parasitize between the columns. These transparent 'book-beams' allow readers to see both the books and the surrounding landscape simultaneously.

The book-beams represent a remarkable feat of engineering and design integration. Horizontal timber beams are layered with vertical stainless steel plates to form a composite structure. The glued-laminated timber and oriented strand board are combined into an I-shaped cross-section capable of carrying structural spans of up to 6 meters. The vertical stainless steel plates link the timber beams into an integrated structural unit, achieving torsion resistance in-plane. The book beams are suspended by structural rods on either side and fixed to the columns, realizing a 'beam' typology load-bearing behavior.

Six groups of book-beams are staggered between the columns, forming a rich interlacing effect together with the system of timber beams. They appear to float in the white space, defining a cluster of fields with ambiguous boundaries that open toward nature. This innovative approach creates reading spaces that are simultaneously functional, structural, and poetic.

The project's relationship to its context extends beyond the immediate wetland environment. As Xixi Wetland serves as a secondary urban wetland in Hangzhou and functions as a daily destination for walking and cycling among local residents, the architects recognized the importance of creating a truly public space. The transparent and open bookstore allows people to read books and nature simultaneously, becoming a public place embedded in the natural life of the city.

The 880-square-meter project represents more than just an architectural renovation; it demonstrates how thoughtful design can create new relationships between built and natural environments. The bookstore serves as a mediator between urban life and natural systems, offering visitors the opportunity to engage with literature while remaining connected to the rhythms and textures of the wetland.

Photography by Hao Chen captures the interplay of light, structure, and landscape that defines the space. The images reveal how the architects successfully created an environment where the boundaries between interior and exterior, built and natural, reading and contemplating, become beautifully blurred.

The Xixi Goldmye Bookstore stands as a testament to the power of adaptive reuse architecture when guided by sensitivity to place, innovative structural thinking, and a deep understanding of how people interact with both books and natural environments. It offers a new model for cultural architecture in sensitive ecological contexts, demonstrating that contemporary design can enhance rather than compete with natural beauty.