Above and Below: Organic Shop & Community Reading Space

The project seeks to redefine the notion of a shop as not only a place for retail but also a space for engaging with people; and reading spaces as not only places of silence but also those that foster interaction and exchange of knowledge. The project uses various levels to blur the boundaries between these two seemingly unrelated programs, thereby generating unique experiences and chance encounters between their users. A sunken plinth creates a shallow basin at ground level for vendors to set up stalls and sell their organic wares. Slim columns starting at plinth level rise up to support platforms for reading activities which hover above the shop activities. Dry construction techniques used allow for a sense of lightness and contrast with the masonry of the existing structure.