Cultural
Nomadic Bookstore
Milan, 2017
Designed by the students of the AA Museum Lab, a Diploma unit of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, the Nomadic Bookstore for Lars Müller Publishers is intended as a manifesto of the relevance of books in the context of the expansion of the digital.
"The concept of the 'Nomadic Bookstore' is first and foremost an expression of my determination to defend and promote the sensation of the physical book as an irreplaceable source of knowledge. It is a project of self-defence, so to speak, on the part of a small independent publisher searching for ways to respond to the changes in the book trade and to encounter his audience up close”. Lars Müller
Located in the heart of the Brera Design District in Milan, in Piazza San Marco, the Nomadic Bookstore presents a selection of Lars Müller Publisher’s books on Design, Architecture, Photography, Art and Society to the wide audience of the prestigious Salone del Mobile, which inaugurates on April 4th, 2017.
Conceived as an itinerant urban structure, the hovering LExD-lit roof of the pavilion projects into the city ever changing provocative titles of Lars Müller’s books and shelters the publications within a soft interior-scape. Inside the pavilion, the predominant use of fine cork with diamond-pointed ashlar ceiling details, allows for a uniform exhibition book display and provides an acoustically subdued environment within hustle of the urban Milanese context. Intended as a prototype, in future incarnations the pavilion will transform itself at night by seamlessly morphing into a closed volume through the use of a pneumatic system.
The pavilion design was selected by an international jury from the competition entries of all eleven students of the AA Museum Lab. The winning proposal is the result of an intense collaboration between all students, who temporarily founded the AA Museum Lab office, simulating a “real” architecture practice.
The pavilion was built thanks to the support of Granorte, Dr. Gallina, Pro Helvetia, Vogt Landscape Ltd and the crowd- funding efforts of the students.
Image credits © Iwan Baan, © Lloyd Lee
"The concept of the 'Nomadic Bookstore' is first and foremost an expression of my determination to defend and promote the sensation of the physical book as an irreplaceable source of knowledge. It is a project of self-defence, so to speak, on the part of a small independent publisher searching for ways to respond to the changes in the book trade and to encounter his audience up close”. Lars Müller
Located in the heart of the Brera Design District in Milan, in Piazza San Marco, the Nomadic Bookstore presents a selection of Lars Müller Publisher’s books on Design, Architecture, Photography, Art and Society to the wide audience of the prestigious Salone del Mobile, which inaugurates on April 4th, 2017.
Conceived as an itinerant urban structure, the hovering LExD-lit roof of the pavilion projects into the city ever changing provocative titles of Lars Müller’s books and shelters the publications within a soft interior-scape. Inside the pavilion, the predominant use of fine cork with diamond-pointed ashlar ceiling details, allows for a uniform exhibition book display and provides an acoustically subdued environment within hustle of the urban Milanese context. Intended as a prototype, in future incarnations the pavilion will transform itself at night by seamlessly morphing into a closed volume through the use of a pneumatic system.
The pavilion design was selected by an international jury from the competition entries of all eleven students of the AA Museum Lab. The winning proposal is the result of an intense collaboration between all students, who temporarily founded the AA Museum Lab office, simulating a “real” architecture practice.
The pavilion was built thanks to the support of Granorte, Dr. Gallina, Pro Helvetia, Vogt Landscape Ltd and the crowd- funding efforts of the students.
| Project Title: | Nomadic Bookstore |
| Location: | Milan, Italy |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Status: | Completed |
| Program: | Temporary Pavilion |
| Scale: | XS |
| Surface: | 40 sqm |
| Client: | Lars Müller Publishers, Architectural Association School of Architecture |
| Partner: | Giulia Foscari with Ekaterina Golovatyuk |
| Team: | Arslan Arkallayev (Project Architect), Harikleia Karamali, Adrian Ma, Arslan Arkallayev, Federica Zambeletti, George Fergusson, Linus Cheng, Lloyd Lee, Ludovica Cirillo, Martina Contento, Olympia Simopoulou, Sebastian Serzysko, Tyler Camille Bollier |
| Consultants: | TecnoLegno Allestimenti (General Contractor), Granorte (Cork Cladding), Dott. Gallina (Polycarbonate) |
Image credits © Iwan Baan, © Lloyd Lee
Speak up for Antarctica now
Learn about the ongoing call to action to protect the Antarctic and, in turn, our Planet
Learn More