Comments on: Ancient Dominican Church Renovated into Modern Bookstore

By: ebustin

ebustin — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:24:19 +0000

That church was built when Maastricht was part of the episcopal principality of Liège, (in Belgium -30 km South of Maastricht) and it was “decommissioned” in 1794 – but, at least, it survived (unlike Liège’s St.Lambert cathedral, which was torn down and never rebuilt.

For the Maastricht church to be used as a bookstore was an interesting idea (and probably a better use of the structure than having it serve as a stable, a grain store or -as happened to some admittedly smaller churches I have seen in France, Italy or Spain- as an auto repair shop or as a pinball alley…

And (for Chris’ benefit), the Dutch economy is not “collapsing” – I am not so sure about Britain (or the US)…

By: Corn Man

Corn Man — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:55:28 +0000

Chris you need to be nutured. Its done. Get over it.

By: jennc

jennc — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:01:57 +0000

I love this idea. If a beautiful piece of architecture is not being used anymore, its great to give it a new purpose. And the bookstore is more likely to keep the site in good condition. The bike parking looked like a lot of fun, but I can see how quickly the structure could get damaged.

By: chris f

chris f — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 03:07:18 +0000

this is an abomination to history. it adds nothing and only takes from the austerity and majesty of the place. it is shameful. i’m aware that vendor fairs were common inside churches in the middle ages, but to install a gigantic black metal structure right in the middle is just tragic (and the rock gym is even worse!). are europeans resentful of their past? i don’t get it. and on top of it, who goes to bookstores anyway!? no wonder their economies are collapsing (except for Germany and Britain, and Norway who is funded by oil).

By: Amazing Hanging Garden is Suspended in the Sky | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:01:21 +0000

[...] We are simply awe-struck by Shinji Turner-Yamamoto’s Hanging Garden sculpture, which was recently installed in the abandoned Holy Cross Church of Cincinnati. The organic artwork consists of a living tree supported by an inverted, uprooted dead tree, delicately suspended in a deserted worship space. [...]

By: 6 Absolutely Heavenly Green Houses of Worship | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:09:50 +0000

[...] Ancient Church Turned Modern Bookstore [...]

By: kimmi.bean

kimmi.bean — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:09:21 +0000

i think that in certain instances reusing old buildings for new purposes can be good but i dont think that applies here.
Its clearly a magnificent gothic style cathedral. Its beautiful as is and placing a ton of books in the middle of a cathedral nave is really not a way to worship the architecture at all. any modernisation of a building from a former era should compliment the building in such a way that the authenticity and era in which it was created is shown and experienced.
Yeah, certain views of the books can look great but the way in which they have designed the space entirely takes away from the originality of the cathedral itself.
They should compliment eachother, exaggerate the beauty of one another. Instead here you see the new design entirely over powering the original to a point where it is lost – what a pity.
KB

By: coutureglassdotcom

coutureglassdotcom — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:44:36 +0000

WOW! What a breathtaking space!

By: Camerin

Camerin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:59:14 +0000

This is truly a magnificent place. I went there frequently while studying in Maastricht. The city also has a very high end hotel that utilizes an ancient church.

By: likeyougiveadamn

likeyougiveadamn — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:11:09 +0000

Really beautiful pictures. It’s always great to see architechture that is sensitive to the original build. I blogged your post here! http://blog.likeyougiveadamn.com/design/ancient-church-modern-bookstore/

By: Uffington

Uffington — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:13:30 +0000

I worship here: http://www.architectureweek.com/2006/0920/culture_1-1.html – A 15th Century Church in Bristol (UK) that has been converted into an indoor climbing centre.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:09:00 +0000

magnificent. I’d worship there.

By: oviddawen@gmail.com

oviddawen@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:03:27 +0000

A great project, well worth covering. This was also the cover story in ArchitectureWeek last week:

http://www.architectureweek.com/2009/0916/index.html