Converted

A Dominican church converted into a 3-storey bookstore, Selexyz Dominicanen, by Merkz+Girod Architects.

The renovation of a place of worship for commercial use also comes with it's challenges. Not being permitted to physically attach anything to columns or walls, the design, using steel black steel structures, was based upon creating three floors of free-standing shelving accessible by catwalks. The former church thus remains unobstructed and preserved.

The result is of a space that is not only functional and beautiful but also one symbolic of a Christian past.

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