- Modular cardboard architecture transforms book market into 18 distinct exhibition spaces
- LUO Studio's creative cardboard ideasbrings modular design and sustainability to temporary bookstore exhibitions.
- Project: Xinyang Book Market: Books 'N Tea
- Location:
- China
- Architects:
- LUO Studio
- Typology:
- Libraries, Temporary Structures
- Images © Jin Weiqi, Bonnie
LUO Studio was invited by Zuo Jing to join the TBB Xinyang Book Market: Books ‘N Tea, tasked with designing exhibition spaces for 18 bookstores. The market was held at the Autumn and Winter Bookhouses in Baihuayuan Four Seasons, Xinyang, Henan, designed by Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects. The project had a tight seven-day turnaround from design to construction, making spatial efficiency and diversity essential.
The venue comprises two fan-shaped buildings aligned along an east-west axis. The northern building holds two circular rooms—one for forums and one for special exhibits, including SYU HEOI CANTON and a local publications showcase. The southern building, with a complete fan-shaped layout, hosts all 18 bookstores. Its central circular space is divided into three sectors using two outer rows of bookshelves and a central row of tables, creating three parallel zones for efficient display.
To reflect the unique identity of each bookstore, LUO Studio designed three assembly methods: vertical-horizontal plugging, front-rhombus plugging, and lateral-beveled plugging. These corresponded to different book sizes and quantities. Each method offered distinct display capacities, suited to hardcover, softcover, or mixed collections.
While the 2022 exhibition used plain kraft-colored cardboard, new red, black, and white variants were introduced for this version. Each color was paired strategically with specific assembly types to enrich visual and spatial diversity.
Limited by objective conditions, the task was to take no more than 7 days to complete the whole process from design to construction for the exhibition space for the temporary book market,so the construction must be highly standardized. All the components were manufactured rapidly in a mechanized way in the factory, and modularly assembled on site. This achieved high rate of prefabrication, avoiding large waste of time caused by on-site construction.
However, the highly industrialized production method is obviously contrary to the humanistic attributes of books. To strike a balance, Yukou Paper, which is handmade by a very unique ancient papermaking method, was chosen for printing the graphic design deliverables such as the exhibition preface, posters, and bookstore logos, instead of using regular paper produced in an industrial way. This kind of paper is slightly yellow and roughly textured, that matches well with the corrugated cardboards on its background, bring the impression of handcraft and correspond to the humanistic attributes of books. The curator Zuo Jing has been promoting this ancient handmade papermaking technique by using Yukou Paper in his daily work.
The projectdid not adopt the common way of screen printing on the exhibition wall, nor did it use industrial paper pasted directly on the wall, but chose to press the corners of Yukou Paper with nails on corrugated cardboards. The construction method provides more convenience for the recycle and reuse of the corrugated cardboards after exhibition, and realizes high reversibility of the materials.This is consistent with the curator and design team’s dedication in sustainable practice for a long time.
Exhibition space design & construction: LUO studio（www.luostudio.cn）
Space design & construction: Luo Yujie, Lu Zhuojian, Wang Beilei, Hong Lun, Cao Yutao, Liu Chonghao (Intern), GengRuijia (Intern)
Exhibition theme: Xinyang Book Market: Books ‘N Tea
Organizers: CPC Xinyang Municipal Committee, Xinyang Municipal Government
Co-organizers: CPC Yangshan New District Committee, Management Committee of Yangshan New District
Execution: Xinyang Xinzi Investment Group Co., Ltd., Xinyang Two Are Better Co., Ltd.
Chief curator: Zuo Jing
Co-curator: Tan Fang
Executive curator: Peng Yanhan
Exhibition curators: Fen Lei, Hu Yanzi
Exhibition location: Autumn Bookhouse/ Winter Bookhouse, Baihuayuan Four Seasons, Yangshan New District, Xinyang
Exhibition design: Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects
Visual design: He Jianping
Poster design: PAY2PLAY
Photography: Jin Weiqi, Bonnie, Zhang Xiaoshu
Exhibitors: abC Art Book Fair, Paideia, ARTDBL, One-way Street Journal, Big Fish Community, DUKU, JUAN ZONG BOOKS, Old Heaven Books, Jiazazhi, Local Bendi, Z/S BOX, naive, ARCHIPELAGO BOOKS, YAN BOOKS, EPbooks, Building Dwelling Thinking
Special exhibitions: SYU HEOI CANTON, Expo of Local Publications
Corrugated cardboard supplier: Kunshan Three Doves Paper Technology Co., LTD
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