Bookstore in Saint Petersburg

• Address:
  Saint Petersburg
• Year:
  2024
• Status:
  Concept

Team:
Liubov Leonteva, Alina Tokareva, Anastasia Gnedenkova, Tatiana Melkozerova

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The concept of the new bookstore in St. Petersburg is built around the image of paper, which serves as a direct reference to the history of the place - in the past, a paper mill operated here. The plastic, layering, and smooth curves of the paper sheet define the geometry of the entire space. The main embodiment of this idea and the compositional center of the interior is a spectacular spiral staircase, the silhouette of which resembles swirling pages. The architectural idea is revealed through thoughtful visual metaphors: iridescent glass bricks embody the words themselves, and a large-scale glowing ball symbolizes the light of knowledge. This aesthetic is complemented by the integration of art objects directly between the bookshelves, which gives the store an atmosphere of a kind of exhibition space. The semantic content of the project is harmoniously combined with a flexible two-level layout. The ground floor is designed as a dynamic area that combines an exhibition hall, a coffee shop, a stage and cozy reading areas near the windows. The second level easily adapts to different scenarios: in everyday life, the center of gravity is a large communal table, and if necessary, the space is completely transformed into a lecture hall.