A Very Small 24-hour Bookstore
Origins of the Small Bookstore
A very small bookstore began by the banks of Nanjing’s Qinhuai River. The owner’s philosophy is to leave the bookstore to its guests as much as possible, providing a warm place for different people at different times. The shop’s staff are four adopted stray cats, and the walls are covered with message postcards. The books in the store initially came from the owner’s old collection, and as guests increased, new and used books were donated one after another.
An Accidental Discovery
The project is located in the Hechai 1972 Creative Park. The park used to be the Anhui Provincial Hefei Prison, and after renovation it has become a popular local cultural and creative park. The first time we came to see the site was when we accompanied the client to look at another restaurant project. We happened to glance at an abandoned building by the roadside and asked the property about its condition and use. We learned it was the former prison guard tower which, for various reasons, had not been renovated along with the park and had been left derelict. We immediately asked whether it could be converted into a 24-hour tiny bookstore for the park and nearby residents. That’s how the project got started.
On-site Survey
Upon entering the guard tower, the first floor measured only 7 square meters, and the second-floor patrol platform offered a panoramic view of the park. The window grilles still retained machine-gun mounts and observation ports, and the building’s original function was extremely clear and singular.
Testing and Reinforcement
The building was constructed in 1997, and the original drawings could no longer be found, so new geotechnical and structural assessments were required before reinforcing the main structure. The original building’s four corner columns were wrapped with reinforced angle-steel hoops, the second-floor slab was strengthened, and the roof’s concrete beam cross-sections were enlarged, making the overall frame more robust. Parts of the original exterior walls used a high-ductility concrete joint-filling technique to increase strength.
“Suspended” Structural System
After communicating with the structural design office, in order to minimize the additional load of the new floor while still meeting the new functional requirements, a steel suspended structural approach was adopted for the renovation. On the reinforced original roof concrete beams, eight C-shaped channel sections were laid transversely, extending the projected plan of the corresponding second-floor platform outward to accommodate two-way circulation for two persons abreast and a seated reading area. Two C-shaped channels were paired back-to-back to form an H-section that clamps rectangular solid steel hanger rods extending vertically downward. At the same time, beneath the original second-floor slab’s concrete beams, C-shaped channel sections of the same quantity, size, and model extend from the four concrete corner columns to clamp the solid steel hanger rods, so that the eight channels and the new floor slab are suspended from the roof steel beams, forming an integral and stable steel structural frame. Utilizing the original exterior wall window openings, an externally mounted cantilevered balcony was added to link the interior and exterior.
Design Strategy
Because two high-voltage cable lines on the west side are too close to the building’s main body, the roof was rotated and then the four corners were trimmed, forming a four-leaf clover shape. The new floor slab uses wood–plastic composite decking laid over the steel structure to reduce load. After removing the low wall below the original second-floor window sills, bookshelves were designed on all four sides. The reading-area desks leverage the primary steel structure, combining the “propping” of scaffolding with the “suspension” of stainless-steel hanger rods. Operable sliding windows were set at the building’s four corners; when opened, they provide unobstructed views. After reinforcing the original staircase, it was enclosed with gypsum board to form an interior service shaft, with the exterior serving as the bookstore’s message wall. An outdoor platform area was added to both the south and north sides, respectively accommodating coffee sales and regular events organized by the bookstore and the park.
Vision
Through a reconstruction of structure, materials, and functions, the former prison guard tower has been transformed into a new place: a very small bookstore, open to everyone in the surrounding neighborhood. Although the walls are blank for now, with time we hope they will once again be covered with little cards, because the sincere words on those cards are the hope in everyone’s heart.
