Chinese studio Architectural bureau Trace repaired and renovated historical building in Yunnan, Chinawhere the Weishan Chongzheng Academy bookstore will be located.

Architectural bureau Trace (TAO) has breathed new life into the Weishan Chongzheng Academy, which has a history of over 500 years, by creating a space for bookstore Librairie Avant-Garde network.

Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore Exterior by Trace Architecture Office — Architecture firm Trace transforms historic academy into bookstore

“The Chongzheng Academy was one of the earliest academies in Yunnan's history and boasted the most extensive collection of books in the region,” a TAO official said. Sheng Zhong told Dezeen.

“In order to fully preserve the wealth of historical information such as colorful paintings, inscriptions and stone carvings from different periods, we established three principles: ‘safety, reversibility and visibility’.

Bookstore in a historical academy in China — The original wooden and carved stone building of the academy has been restored.

The building, intended to be a “catalyst” for attracting locals and tourists to the old town, retains much of its original wood and carved stone structure.

At the eastern end of the site, TAO replaced two 1980s-era office buildings with an above-ground building. specific volumetric body audience and a sunken bookshop below, glazed to full height to create a new street frontage.

Bookshelves in the yard — Steel structures with bookshelves were added to the courtyard.

To better connect this with the existing structure, the studio adapted the historic academy building yard layout by introducing two “book galleries”.

These slender steel volumes, facing each other across the courtyard, were clad in metal mesh screens. Along their edges, long stepped benches create seating areas overlooking an open space for reading and performance.

The metal structures of the book galleries were designed in such a way that they not only create a striking modern contrast to the existing structure, but are also lightweight and easy to dismantle in the future if necessary.

“The design breaks the traditional layout of the academy, providing visitors with a new spatial experience,” Zhong told Dezeen.

“The book gallery not only redistributes the internal spatial structure of the academy, but also reconnects the various courtyards, the main hall, the side and lateral rooms.”

Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore in China by Trace Architecture Office — TAO's goal was to create a seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces.

The former academy premises surrounding the original courtyard have been converted into a café, reading rooms, small exhibition spaces and toilets.

In these spaces, TAO retained the academy's wood and stone structure as a backdrop, complementing it with new dark wood furniture.

Bookstore Interior by Trace Architecture Studio — The dark wood furniture was designed to complement the building's original timber structure.

The mild climate of Weishan allows the boundaries between spaces to be left open, providing smooth transitions between new and old, indoor and outdoor space.

“Walking around the academy, moving between book galleries and historical buildings, I see that the landscape changes with every step,” Zhong says.

“It’s like visiting a Chinese garden, full of spatial impressions, and taking a journey through ancient and modern times.”