Architecture firm XLiving has completed a striking renovation of a large bookstore in Tianjin, China, creating an innovative retail space that combines layered brickwork and slatted steel elements to form wave-like shelves, steps, and seating areas that flow dramatically around a central hall. The project, which has been shortlisted for the 2025 Dezeen Awards in the retail interior (large) category, involved transforming an existing building in Tianjin's Italian-style district into a flagship store for major book retailer Zhongshuge.
The building's location in an area renowned for its early 20th-century interpretations of classical Italian architecture played a crucial role in shaping the design approach. XLiving chose red brick as the primary material for the renovation, addressing the clash between the original modern structure and its classical surroundings. "The original modern building clashed with its classical surroundings," XLiving explained. "The brief demanded architectural and interior integration that respected the neighborhood atmosphere while introducing contemporary innovation."
The exterior transformation features brick facades with classical proportions and authentic Italianate details, including decorative columns, round arches, and projecting eaves. The brickwork is laid in distinctive horizontal layers with intentional gaps designed to evoke the appearance of Venetian blinds. This innovative detail creates a sense of lightness, transparency, and rhythm that reduces the overall visual mass while making the structure feel more accessible and welcoming to visitors.
"The design attempts to blur the physical boundaries of the building, reminding people that the boundaries of knowledge and cognition are fuzzy, but the spiritual core is clear and firm," said Li Xiang, founder of XLiving. She elaborated on the philosophical concept behind the design, explaining, "Just as bookstores, through their interplay of commerce and culture, dissolve the distinction between profit-making operations and public welfare sharing, they embrace a sense of openness and accessibility to the public."
Li Xiang further emphasized the conceptual depth of the project, stating, "Boundaries don't represent a fixed state; on the contrary, I believe they are filled with exploration and struggle. They assert a definition while leaving gaps, inviting conflict and challenge." The bookstore was specifically designed to function as an open and inclusive public realm, with its fluid layout encouraging exploration while celebrating Tianjin's rich maritime history and the global exchange of ideas.
The interior design continues the facade's layered aesthetic through the use of stacked steel plates that surround a grand central hall. These metal structures form flowing bookshelves that wrap around the space, rising in certain areas to create integrated stairs and seating elements. The studio explained that "layered steps ascending to the main area not only symbolize humanity's pursuit of knowledge, but also reflect the port city's identity, while light-filtering blinds suggest permeable cognitive boundaries."
The material palette consists of dark-blue steel contrasting with earthy brick surfaces, with both materials left in their raw state to emphasize their structural properties while achieving multiple functions. The bricks required custom manufacturing in numerous different shapes and sizes to achieve the complex contours that define the bookstore's spatial layout and key functional areas. According to the architects, approximately 400,000 bricks were produced and carefully selected to create sculptural forms that challenge conventional perceptions of masonry construction.
"This new exploration of bricks attempts to de-emphasize technology and return to the reflection on form itself, making a fundamental and original innovation in the material," the studio noted. They added, "The design deconstructs the spatial vocabulary of classical Western architecture, translating the core of craftsmanship with local culture, ultimately expressing the emotional narrative of the city itself."
This Tianjin project represents one of several bookstore collaborations between XLiving and Zhongshuge. Previous notable projects include a Chongqing location featuring mirrored ceilings and zigzag staircases, as well as a Yangzhou store where arched shelves and a mirrored floor create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books. Li Xiang, who studied architecture at Birmingham City University before establishing XLiving in 2011, leads a firm known for expressive projects that capture the emotion and spirit of places through geometric forms, color, and symbolism.
