DESA1002 'Continuous City' Yuwei Nicole Zeng

Abstract

In the city of Venice, walking on the wooden walkway above the river, one will end up with the new bookshop of the city. The shop has two components to it, the bookstore and the café. Entering the bookshop through the façade made by thin wooden trips, one shall experience a different side of the city: a feeling of contemporary and a sense of present. Nevertheless, the large glass windows let the outer scenery interacting with the interior of the building, which well connects the two together. A center courtyard is built to connect the café and the bookstore together. The yard reduces the sense of being placed in an interior space and gives people a chance to lookout form the building. To circulate around the building, one needs to climb up the stairs around the center courtyard. At the same time, the building itself is viewed in the person’s eyes from different angles. The centre courtyard, the roof garden on top of the café and the outdoor space in front of the café forms three exterior garden spaces all together. This creates a sense of open and freedom for the people entering the shop and makes them wish to spend longer time in the shop. Light is a key element in the building. Three glass facade reading-rooms are placed in the bookstore to ensure maximum sunlight in the store. Sit in the rooms is when one starts to wonder where to draw the define line between the water and the sky. The bookshop is telling the same story about the city, a story that is told a thousand times in the long history. Yet it is speaking in a new tone, a bit more modern and excited tone that will make Venice a more memorable place for just a bit more people.