A book store in Xian, China, designed by Tomoko Ikegai of Ikg Inc brings an adventurous twist to learning and unwinding with swirling walkways, art installations and shelves that house wonder within their widths.
Ikegai wanted to create a place for encounters between ‘people, cultures, and books from around the world’. Combining the typologies of ‘library’ and ‘gallery’, the YJY Maike Centre Flagship is filled with books, nooks to sit and learn, as well as integrated displays for cultural objects. It’s a place of never-ending inspiration.
The history of Xian, which was once the seat of several of China’s most important dynasties, the origin of the Silk Road and also is home to the world-famous Terracotta Army, was a major inspiration for Ikegai’s design. She looked to traditional Japanese and Chinese palace architecture, where sprawling plans took on ideas of urbanism on a human scale through interlinked rooms and courtyards.
At the heart of the impressive space is an open spiral staircase that also functions as a courtyard with its bright flooring and mirrored ceiling. Meanwhile upstairs, on the second level, a 50m long ‘street’ for books with low ceilings and dark interior aesthetic takes visitors on an intellectual journey through the store.
Today, the city has a very different identity. It is one of the main centres of China’s tech industry – and the YJY Maike Centre Flagship is located in a new building at the heart of a modern development, with a Grand Hyatt hotel on the upper floors. This contemporary identity also inspired Ikegai, who sought to reflect elegant luxury through dynamism.
An impressive 10m high book shelf just inside the entryway communicates the concept of the space immediately to anyone who enters; while a lighting concept of fluttering sheets of paper and locally commissioned art reflect Chinese culture in the present.
While the books store is a public space, it holds the warmth of a home with intimate areas to spend time and socialize. The second floor is a lounge with an informal bar counter aimed at local office workers to relax during the day or after work. Ikegai is also behind the creative direction of the Tsutaya book store by Klein Dytham Architecture in Tokyo that has a similarly friendly and engaging approach to space.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Ikg Inc website
ADDRESS
YJY Maike Centre Flagship
No 12 Jinye Road
High Tech Zone
Xian
-
Inside IWC’s first Scottish boutique, where watchmaking meets contemporary designAs IWC open the doors to its Princes Street boutique in Edinburgh, we speak to Boston-based artist David Nott on what inspired his specially-commissioned artwork for the new store
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in LondonA 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
Dressing for pleasure: why this season is all about a ‘raw glamour’For A/W 2025, designers reimagined tropes of glamour, luxury and femininity in subversive style
-
A new photo book explores the symbolic beauty of the Japanese garden‘Modern Japanese Gardens’ from Thames & Hudson traces the 20th-century evolution of these serene spaces, where every element has a purpose
-
Atelier About Architecture’s ‘house within a house, and garden within a garden’House J in Beijing, by Atelier About Architecture, is an intricate remodelling complete with a hidden indoor garden and surprising sight lines
-
A nature-inspired Chinese art centre cuts a crisp figure in a Guiyang parkA new Chinese art centre by Atelier Xi in the country's Guizhou Province is designed to bring together nature, art and community
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ spaceship-like Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum is now openLast week, ZHA announced the opening of its latest project: a museum in Shenzhen, China, dedicated to the power of technological advancements. It was only fitting, therefore, that the building design should embrace innovation
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
A Xingfa cement factory’s reimagining breathes new life into an abandoned industrial siteWe tour the Xingfa cement factory in China, where a redesign by landscape architecture firm SWA completely transforms an old industrial site into a lush park
-
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in ChinaToteme launches a bold, monochromatic new store in Beijing – the brand’s first in China – created by Swiss architecture masters Herzog & de Meuron
