Hong Kong-based Panorama Design Group’s futuristic and forward-thinking design for a store in Chengdu, China pushes the boundaries of children’s bookshops. Centred on learning and teaching, the 1,200-square-metre Kids Winshare store incorporates well-thought-out socialising, dining and shopping areas.

Inspired by renowned abstract painter Joan Miró, Panorama describes the colourful and playful design as a ‘composite’ bookstore. “We recommend parents spending as much time as possible with their kids here as they can both explore the surprises within this imaginative ‘bookscape’. More importantly, it’s a new typology of public space redefining future parenting in China.”

The designers say it fits with the ’new thinking’ in China’s ancient capital. “Bookstores no longer only sell books, but provide a space for reading, or a platform for inducing children to explore, learn and interact,” says the design team.

Panorama took inspiration from renowned Spanish artist Juan Miro to expand the imagination of visiting children and their parents. “Derived from Joan Miro’s magical painting, organic shapes and forms were seen as key spatial components in this bookstore, bringing the imaginative world to life as a joyful experience for knowledge hunting,” say the designers.

The colourful artwork-inspired space contains classic simple shapes (circles and arches), bright colours, and a hint of the extraordinary with a statement moving image installation.

Panorama split the space into different parts. The shopping section of the store features a number of spiralling bookshelf units in white and yellow. Arches and translucent yellow windows playfully tease and guide visitors through the meandering space. The winding layout creates a number of cosy ‘reading pods’, including oval-shaped transparent areas that extrude from the shop front, inviting visitors.

The dining area mimics the shapes of the store but Panorama opted for pastel teals and turquoise upholstery and bare wood. The semi-open classrooms in yellow and baby-blue were planned to remove the barrier between kids and teachers. Instead one finds a sociable environment that is both stimulating and calm, according to the designers.

Panorama’s favourite element at Kids Winshare is a custom-built 360-degree multi-media dome theatre. The structure creates an immersive environment for lectures, book launches, performances and parties. The designers say it was one of the most taxing parts of the project to complete, because of the calculations that would allow for the maximum use of the space.

“We used the existing height of the space and calculated the maximum diameter of the theatre, sandwiched between the four columns. We came up with the perfect construction in partnership with the local contractor,” the designers explain. They created the structure in steel while laminated wood creates a smooth surface on the interior, perfect for projections.

Photography by Ng Siu Fung.

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