"Not much is really sacred," Bob Dylan raspily mourned, citing "flesh–colored Christs that glow in the dark" and other choice bits of consumerism as evidence. And now, the Waanders In de Broeren bookshop is open for business inside a 15th–century cathedral. In the small municipality of Zwolle just northeast of Amsterdam, the sprawling, self–avowed concept store and cafe inserts three floors in the church's side aisle. Book showcases––new releases, perhaps the Dan Brown oeuvre––punctuate the central nave space of the Broerenkerk, a famed Gothic cathedral. The design of the store, by Utrecht–based BK Architecten, was calibrated to preserve the church's original architecture and ornaments, including its elegant ceiling paintings and an organ dating back to the early 1800s. To this end, the architects erected the shop's structure independently of the Broerenkerk's own, which is protected as a cultural heritage site.Read Full Story Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]