The Soul Station at the Foot of the Mountain © Tide sound Anson
Reshaping the Character of a Place
Gaoshan Bookstore is nestled in a valley at an elevation of 800 meters within Nankunshan National Forest Park, Huizhou City. The site lies near the mountain’s base, overlooking a pond and encircled by mountains. During our site visit, transitioning from summer to autumn, the lush greenery of the mountains enveloped the surroundings. A cool breeze from the valley gently swept across the pond’s surface, bringing a refreshing chill.
The original structure was a modest two-story brick and wood building with a sloping roof, where the lowest eaves stood just 2.2 meters high. Its humble scale and the natural texture of its materials harmonized perfectly with the environment. This initial experience on-site deeply influenced us and became the design’s core element — a temperament we sought to preserve throughout the project.
The relationship between the original buildings and the surrounding environment © Buildings outside the city
Since the original building’s volume no longer met the new functional needs, after careful consideration, it was decided to demolish and rebuild. Though a difficult choice, we aimed to continue the original building’s spirit by using its herringbone roof as inspiration. The new design features two connected units of varying heights, forming a continuous roofline that integrates with the walls and even the ground.
The repeated layering of roofs softens the building’s mass, embedding it naturally into the mountain landscape and strengthening its dialogue with the environment.
The new building continues the conversation between the original structure and its environment © Tide sound Anson
△ Library design process © Buildings outside the city
△ Bookstore peeking through the forest © Tide sound Anson
If the exterior shell is an abstract interpretation of the original building, the wooden box at the library’s core embodies the most fundamental form of a bookshelf. Constructed as a square grid, it evokes traditional shelving.
The outer mountain-shaped shell forms a gray space that wraps the central wooden box, with a glass curtain wall filling the gap between them. This transparent barrier reveals the forest beyond, placing the bookstore in a liminal space between indoors and outdoors.
Wooden box enclosed by a “mountain” shaped shell © Tide sound Anson
The library’s various orientations correspond to different spatial interfaces. The forward overhanging veranda floats above the pond, extending the original architectural terrace of the site. From this vantage point, visitors face passersby across the water.
To block roadside noise, the facade is fully enclosed, with only three windows of varied sizes. A skylight above provides soft, diffused light, while a rectangular window at eye level, combined with integrated seating, frames views and connects indoor and outdoor visitors.
The pond-facing side is surrounded by towering trees, where a glass box protrudes from the roof, floating lightly above the treetops.
A floating platform suspended above the pool on the outer corridor © Tide sound Anson
△ Window facing the road © Tide sound Anson
The glass floating platform emerging from the broken house © Tide sound Anson
The library entrance maintains the original building’s low eaves at just 2 meters high, intentionally lowering the threshold to encourage a peaceful connection with nature and temper expectations before entering inside.
The forward corridor extends to the entrance platform, creating a continuous corner gray space with varying heights that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.
△ Continuously changing corner gray space © Tide sound Anson
Deliberately lowering the entrance to the level of visitors © Tide sound Anson
The gray space sheltered beneath the large roof © Tide sound Anson
Transforming External Space into Internal Space
The continuously layered roof and the wooden box at the center naturally create distinct interior spaces. Inside the wooden box is a sunken activity area, enclosed by the lower side roof and the box itself, forming an open reading space. The extra height between the taller side roof and wooden box becomes a peaceful attic meditation space.
△ Library functional space analysis © Buildings outside the city
The entire bookshelf acts as a spatial divider beneath the continuous roof. The first floor includes an open reading area and sunken activity space, arranged in a circular flow around the central staircase. Moving through different views and windows, visitors engage in a dialogue with the surrounding scenery.
Opening a window to the forest, sky, and road © Tide sound Anson
Bookshelf space bathed in soft light and shadow © Tide sound Anson
Climbing the central staircase within the bookshelf, visitors face the road’s end framed by mountain trees, evoking the feeling of walking through a mountain of books — a metaphor for a journey. Turning toward the attic, the open forest landscape unfolds, recreating the experience of ascending through the forest canopy.
The staircase centered within the bookshelf © Tide sound Anson
At the top of the stairs, an open forest landscape © Tide sound Anson
The library’s second floor is an attic under a continuous sloping roof, more intimate in scale than the ground floor. Skylights of varying sizes, floor-to-ceiling transparent windows, and long openings that look down to the first floor create a space where visitors can walk or sit in a circle while immersed in views of the sky, forest, and activity around them.
△ Attic meditation space © Tide sound Anson
△ Continuous roof and skylight © Tide sound Anson
The journey culminates in a glass box that pierces the roof, floating atop the treetops. Surrounded entirely by trees, this space offers an intimate encounter with nature and the climax to the architectural experience.
A floating platform nestled within the forest © Tide sound Anson
A glass box floating above the treetops © Tide sound Anson
Materials and Structure
Material selection focused on reducing the perceived volume created by the integration of roof and walls within the environment. We chose 220×220mm dark gray titanium zinc metal tiles, matching the original tile scale and color. This choice minimizes the building’s mass and offers a modern reinterpretation of traditional tiles.
Early on, structural engineers collaborated closely to refine the design. The main challenge was creating the mountain-shaped shell that lightly embraces the central wooden box. After several discussions, a steel structure was adopted, concealing all columns within the bookshelf space of the wooden box, along with necessary equipment conduits.
On the attic level, columns are grouped into recessed walls, cleverly hiding structural elements to achieve a clean, pure spatial effect.
△ Construction process © Buildings outside the city
△ Sectional perspective © Buildings outside the city
△ Titanium zinc metal tile roof © Tide sound Anson
Operations and Public Feedback
Since opening in 2020, Nan Kun Secret Land Homestay has become a popular destination within Nankunshan National Forest Park. Visitors frequently share photos online, showcasing the space’s appeal.
As designers, we focus on understanding how the public uses the space without prior knowledge of the design concept or analysis, and their feelings and feedback are essential to us. These reactions help guide our design decisions.
△ Public check-in photos shared online © Buildings outside the city
△ Bookstore glowing under nightfall © Tide sound Anson
Project Drawings
△ First floor plan © Buildings outside the city
△ Second floor plan © Buildings outside the city
△ Section diagram © Buildings outside the city
△ Wall sample © Buildings outside the city
Project Information
Project Name: Nankun Secret Realm High Mountain Bookstore
Owner: Huizhou Aishu Culture and Tourism Investment Development Co., Ltd.
Designer: Guangzhou Outer City Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Design Team: Chen Jieqi, Lin Wangming, Shen Yingying, Huang Yiyuan, Chen Zhenhui
Lighting Design: Guangzhou Hengguang Design Co., Ltd.
Construction Team: Guangdong Dexin Zhongcheng Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Photography Copyright: Chao Sheng @ Anson
Design & Completion: October 2019 – October 2020
Location: Nankunshan National Forest Scenic Area, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province
Project Area: 200 square meters
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