Contract - January/February 2016 - 116

INTERIORS AWARDS

Retail
Chu Chih-Kang Space Design

Fangsuo Bookstore

By Michael Webb
Photography by
Chu Chih-Kang
and Li Guo-Min

Client
Fangsuo Culture
Development
Location
Chengdu, China
116

Taiwanese designer Chu Chih-Kang, who studied painting before
turning to architecture, opened his first office in Taipei in 2006. In 2010,
he relocated to the mainland China city of Shenzhen while maintaining
a foothold in Taipei, making him one of the few professionals to
straddle the divide between the two states. As a Buddhist, he has a
deep respect for the spirit of a place and of the land, so he eagerly
embraced a commission to create the Fangsuo Bookstore in Chengdu,
the ancient capital of Sichuan Province. The client, Fangsuo Culture
Development Company, wanted a store that could play many roles and
be unique to Chengdu.
While researching the location, Chih-Kang found that it was close
to the site of the ancient Daci Temple and had historical links to Xuan
Zang, a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty. "That inspired me to draw
on the idea of the secret scripture library, a feature of many Buddhist
temples," says Chih-Kang. "For centuries, scholars sought wisdom in
such repositories, for books contain some of mankind's most profound
wisdom. I wanted to bring that sense of solemnity to this 60,000square-foot basement beneath a new development in the center
of the city."
Upon entering the store, one may feel like an archeologist who
has discovered buried treasure. A metal pavilion marks the entrance
from the street and doubles as a vitrine, and an escalator partially
enclosed in a brushed copper sleeve leads customers to the lower level.
"[The escalator enclosure] is shaped like a meteorite, and the journey
through this passage to knowledge is designed to release tension and
allow customers to enter the space in a relaxed frame of mind, open to
discovery and enchantment," Chih-Kang says.
By evoking the structure of a temple, Chih-Kang used the
lower-level limitations to his advantage. Thirty-seven 30-foot-high
structural columns are celebrated as sculptural concrete monoliths,
sharply angled and pigmented in the same dusty brown as the
concrete floor and the exposed ducts and pipes that crowd the ceiling.
Books are displayed on tables that can be moved aside to create room
for events; more volumes are stacked on shelves on both the ground
level and mezzanine gallery. A dedicated children's department is

contained within a white arched space that doubles as a projection
screen. Portholes and steps leading up to classrooms recall the
features of a ship or an airplane, giving shoppers a sense of both
intimacy and fun. In addition to books, clothing is sold from racks in
one corner of the store, while another section is devoted to welldesigned objects.
Chih-Kang made at least 50 design revisions in order to meet
the client's request for a place that is much more than a bookstore. "We
wanted to create a public platform for culture, and in less than a year of
operation, we have organized more than 60 art, literary, and musical
events," says Selina Liao, manager of the store. "We plan to invite
guests from different professions so that customers of Fangsuo can
enjoy many different experiences in addition to reading and browsing."
Chengdu claims to have more teahouses than the metropolis of
Shanghai, but there is always room for one more. The strategy to create
Fangsuo Bookstore as a third place for the public to gather, shop, and
enjoy tea has proved successful, attracting a range of people from
millennials to older citizens. c

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Contract - January/February 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - January/February 2016

Contract - January/February 2016
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Columnist: Rethinking Practice Through Business Model Innovation
Product Focus: New Year's Resolution
Designer of the Year: Todd Heiser
Legend Award: Stanley Felderman & Nancy Keatinge
Annual Interiors Awards
Adaptive Reuse
Education
Entertainment
Exhibition
Healthcare
Historic Restoration
Hotel
Office: Large
Office: Small
Public/Civic
Restaurant
Retail
Student
Sustainable
Sources
Ad Index
Installation: Given the Chance to Dream, Legend Stanley Felderman Launched his Career with the Fabergé Headquarters
Contract - January/February 2016 - Intro
Contract - January/February 2016 - Contract - January/February 2016
Contract - January/February 2016 - Cover2
Contract - January/February 2016 - 1
Contract - January/February 2016 - 2
Contract - January/February 2016 - 3
Contract - January/February 2016 - 4
Contract - January/February 2016 - 5
Contract - January/February 2016 - Contents
Contract - January/February 2016 - 7
Contract - January/February 2016 - 8
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Contract - January/February 2016 - 13
Contract - January/February 2016 - 14
Contract - January/February 2016 - 15
Contract - January/February 2016 - 16
Contract - January/February 2016 - 17
Contract - January/February 2016 - Editorial
Contract - January/February 2016 - 19
Contract - January/February 2016 - 20
Contract - January/February 2016 - 21
Contract - January/February 2016 - Industry News
Contract - January/February 2016 - 23
Contract - January/February 2016 - 24
Contract - January/February 2016 - 25
Contract - January/February 2016 - 26
Contract - January/February 2016 - 27
Contract - January/February 2016 - 28
Contract - January/February 2016 - 29
Contract - January/February 2016 - Columnist: Rethinking Practice Through Business Model Innovation
Contract - January/February 2016 - 31
Contract - January/February 2016 - 32
Contract - January/February 2016 - 33
Contract - January/February 2016 - Product Focus: New Year's Resolution
Contract - January/February 2016 - 35
Contract - January/February 2016 - 36
Contract - January/February 2016 - 37
Contract - January/February 2016 - 38
Contract - January/February 2016 - 39
Contract - January/February 2016 - 40
Contract - January/February 2016 - Designer of the Year: Todd Heiser
Contract - January/February 2016 - 42
Contract - January/February 2016 - 43
Contract - January/February 2016 - 44
Contract - January/February 2016 - 45
Contract - January/February 2016 - 46
Contract - January/February 2016 - 47
Contract - January/February 2016 - 48
Contract - January/February 2016 - 49
Contract - January/February 2016 - 50
Contract - January/February 2016 - 51
Contract - January/February 2016 - 52
Contract - January/February 2016 - 53
Contract - January/February 2016 - Legend Award: Stanley Felderman & Nancy Keatinge
Contract - January/February 2016 - 55
Contract - January/February 2016 - 56
Contract - January/February 2016 - 57
Contract - January/February 2016 - 58
Contract - January/February 2016 - 59
Contract - January/February 2016 - 60
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Contract - January/February 2016 - 66
Contract - January/February 2016 - 67
Contract - January/February 2016 - 68
Contract - January/February 2016 - 69
Contract - January/February 2016 - Annual Interiors Awards
Contract - January/February 2016 - 71
Contract - January/February 2016 - Adaptive Reuse
Contract - January/February 2016 - 73
Contract - January/February 2016 - 74
Contract - January/February 2016 - 75
Contract - January/February 2016 - Education
Contract - January/February 2016 - 77
Contract - January/February 2016 - 78
Contract - January/February 2016 - 79
Contract - January/February 2016 - Entertainment
Contract - January/February 2016 - 81
Contract - January/February 2016 - 82
Contract - January/February 2016 - 83
Contract - January/February 2016 - Exhibition
Contract - January/February 2016 - 85
Contract - January/February 2016 - 86
Contract - January/February 2016 - 87
Contract - January/February 2016 - Healthcare
Contract - January/February 2016 - 89
Contract - January/February 2016 - 90
Contract - January/February 2016 - 91
Contract - January/February 2016 - Historic Restoration
Contract - January/February 2016 - 93
Contract - January/February 2016 - 94
Contract - January/February 2016 - 95
Contract - January/February 2016 - Hotel
Contract - January/February 2016 - 97
Contract - January/February 2016 - 98
Contract - January/February 2016 - 99
Contract - January/February 2016 - Office: Large
Contract - January/February 2016 - 101
Contract - January/February 2016 - 102
Contract - January/February 2016 - 103
Contract - January/February 2016 - Office: Small
Contract - January/February 2016 - 105
Contract - January/February 2016 - 106
Contract - January/February 2016 - 107
Contract - January/February 2016 - Public/Civic
Contract - January/February 2016 - 109
Contract - January/February 2016 - 110
Contract - January/February 2016 - 111
Contract - January/February 2016 - Restaurant
Contract - January/February 2016 - 113
Contract - January/February 2016 - 114
Contract - January/February 2016 - 115
Contract - January/February 2016 - Retail
Contract - January/February 2016 - 117
Contract - January/February 2016 - 118
Contract - January/February 2016 - 119
Contract - January/February 2016 - Student
Contract - January/February 2016 - 121
Contract - January/February 2016 - 122
Contract - January/February 2016 - 123
Contract - January/February 2016 - Sustainable
Contract - January/February 2016 - 125
Contract - January/February 2016 - 126
Contract - January/February 2016 - 127
Contract - January/February 2016 - Sources
Contract - January/February 2016 - 129
Contract - January/February 2016 - 130
Contract - January/February 2016 - 131
Contract - January/February 2016 - 132
Contract - January/February 2016 - 133
Contract - January/February 2016 - Ad Index
Contract - January/February 2016 - 135
Contract - January/February 2016 - Installation: Given the Chance to Dream, Legend Stanley Felderman Launched his Career with the Fabergé Headquarters
Contract - January/February 2016 - Cover3
Contract - January/February 2016 - Cover4
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