OWSpace, China. A space designed on the concept of solitude
A seaside bookstore of five-hundred-and-nintety square meters. Boxes and corners provide a shelter for those who seek quiet with levels of interaction. On the Golden Beach of Qinhuangdao
OWSpace, China A Space Designed Around Solitude
OWSpace is a 590-square-meter seaside bookstore overlooking the Golden Beach of Qinhuangdao. Its interior is composed of alcoves, niches, and quiet corners that create varying degrees of intimacy and interaction. The bookstore is part of Aranya, a 220-hectare resort located on Qinhuangdao’s Golden Beach in Beidaihe. Founded in 2013 by Ma Yin, Aranya was conceived as a counterbalance to the overwhelming architecture of China’s major metropolitan centers. Ma Yin envisioned a community resembling a cohesive neighborhood, inviting architecture firms such as Vector Architects, OPEN Architecture, Neri&Hu, Shuhei Aoyama, and Odd Studio to shape its spatial identity.
The Aranya community is rooted in the guiding principle “Life could be better,” emphasizing family, inner reflection, and spiritual well-being. Within this framework, buildings are meant to offer meaning, refuge, and emotional comfort. Among Aranya’s emblematic “spiritual buildings” including the Seaside Library, UCCA Dune Art Museum, and the Aranya Art Center OWSpace Bookstore, designed in 2018 by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio, plays a central role.
Design Concept
The design of OWSpace is inspired by the experience of solitude—being alone by the sea, distanced from urban noise. Its façade faces Aranya’s central square, where public events take place, creating a dialogue between openness and introspection. B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio retained the original one-story concrete structure and introduced a vertical composition of landscape walls. With its raw textures, the entrance wall acts as a transitional zone between public and private, outside and inside. From the square, visitors can glimpse the interior through tall vertical blades that partially shade the large windows.
The building incorporates dark gray wood, steel, and terrazzo. Vertical and horizontal surfaces are used to subtly extend the perception of space. Grey wooden partitions form boxes and alcoves of varying shapes and sizes, allowing different levels of engagement based on individual needs. In OWSpace, the boundaries between public and private dissolve, creating an environment that explores solitude, companionship, and the space between them.
Literature and Curation at OWSpace
According to the bookstore’s management, OWSpace’s bestsellers include Chinese and international literature, as well as lifestyle books. The nonfiction section is divided into four main categories: Independent, Humanities, Social Science, and Aesthetics. Book selection follows aesthetic and thematic principles inspired by the evolution of society and human thought. The team also conducts reader surveys to better understand customer preferences. To help visitors discover new works, staff highlight selected sentences and passages, displaying them alongside featured titles.
OWSpace additionally offers stationery and curated cultural products. Their co-branded book cover Going up to the Sun Terrace reproduces a calligraphy piece by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, appealing to readers interested in traditional Chinese culture. The OWSpace Desk Calendar preserves customs and symbolic guidelines derived from the lunar calendar. The bookstore regularly hosts free literary salons and cultural programs for both locals and visitors.
OWSpace, China
Aranya, Hebei Province
Qinhuangdao, Changli County, 364
Located within the Aranya resort, OWSpace is a 590-square-meter waterfront bookstore featuring façade renovation, interior design, and curated landscape elements by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio.
