Wuguan Books by Chu Chih-kang Space Design

Most first-time visitors to our bookstore would come to a full stop when they first pull back the store curtain and see what is waiting for them: surprise, amazement, or perhaps confusion. With an extremely low lighting, all visitors could see are the books on the shelves.

Designed by: Chu Chih-kang Space Design
Client: Wuguan Books
Location: Dayi Warehouse Cluster, Pier-2 Art Center, Kaohsiung City (C7-6 Warehouse, 2-1 Dayi Street, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City)
Completion: Jan 2018
Area: 185 m2
Designer: Chu Chih-kang
Design assistant: Lin Tan-hua

Project's description: It’s not about the books, it is about a new experience! Most visitors are surprised by the bookstore’s low interior lighting. However at the same time, they are captivated by the books on the shelves without realizing it. “Whether people would only want to read in a well-lit environment or not” is a question we often ponder, and we discovered that it is easier for people to collect their thoughts and enjoy a book at night. That is why we have created a space that allows people to wind down, listen to their inner voice, and find a book they really want to read.

With book covers on nearly 300 bookshelves facing outward, our display allows books themselves to recount their personality and story to our visitors. Our carefully-designed lighting only illuminates the books and creates an illusion that they are floating in the air. A yakisugi (shou sugi ban) table can be found in the bookstore that offers ample lighting to visitors who prefer to spend more time reading their book in detail.

Our floor is covered with carpets, which can absorb echoes as well as sound of footsteps. With lighting concentrating on books and other objects, visitors won’t notice the presence of other people in the store. With less person-to-person interference, visitors can choose whatever book they like to read without worrying about other people looking at them as well as focusing on reading without disruption. 

It’s all about you! Books use their covers to tell their personality and story. Our collection includes books of different genres: psychology, emotion, gender, body, anatomy, erotica, art, and novelty. Instead of categorizing our books by genre, we choose to categorize them based on the color of the book cover.

Our interior lighting is carefully designed and positioned to illuminate our books and bookshelves but not our readers. Some of our books contain mature themes and people may feel reluctant to read them if they were at a well-lit bookstore. However, at Wuguan Books, people can enjoy reading the book they want to read without worrying about other people’s eyes.Thanks to our low-lighting atmosphere, visitors can concentrate on reading and forget about their surrounding environment.

In short, Wuguan Books offers the best of both worlds by bringing the advantages of a brick and mortar bookstore and online bookstore together. Visitors can pick up a book and flip through a few pages without worrying about other people.

At Wuguan Books, we help you open that door to your inner self. Come and have a honest and real interaction with yourself.

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