Selexzy Bookstore by Merkx and Girod Architects, Maastricht, Netherland

05dec08The following Selexzy store is located in a former Dominican church in Maastricht, Netherland. The bookstore is designed by Dutch architects Merkx + Girod and has won the Lensvelt de Architect Interior Prize in 2007.Merkx+Girod architects have created a contemporary bookshop in a former Dominican church, preserving the unique landmark setting. The church has been restored to its former glory and the utilities equipment has been housed in the extended cellar.Text from worldarchitecturenews:The architects were commissioned by the Dutch bookseller to convert the forler Church into a modern bookstore. For the same client M+G had previously designed two bookstores in The Hague and Almere. The unique location in Maastricht however asked for a very different approach. The store demanded 1,200 sq m of commercial area where only 750 were available.The initial idea of the client to install a second floor within the church was rejected by the designers, because this would completely destroy the spatial qualities of the church. The solution was found in the creation of a monumental walk-in bookcase spanning several floors and situated a-symmetrically in the church. In doing so the left side of the church remained empty while on the other side customers are lead upstairs in the three- storey ‘Bookflat.’The ground floor gives room to several different book displays, information desks, magazine-stands and cash registers, all made of standard sheet materials in different colours and surfaces