In the town square of Newmarket, Canada, The Story Pod attracts the curiosity of residents and passers-by coming from nearby Main Street and from a footpath that runs along the river nearby. As people move around it slowly unravels to the varying rhythm of its vertical staves
The Story Pod: a landmark dedicated to the art of daily reading, and an intimate urban lantern by night
The Story Pod, in Akb's own style, is a pure, simple form that conceals a profoundly reflective approach to architecture: an abstract, black volume with compact dimensions, 2.5x2.5m base and 3m height, an urban landmark with the function of a place for book exchange
Tighter spacing is used to clad the opaque walls; where the slats recede and the space between them is covered by transparent Lexan, the eyes of passers-by can find satisfaction in seeing the interior and at the same time the light permeates into The Story Pod.
The sight of the book stacks encourages the avid reader to enter
During the day, two of the walls of The Story Pod open up like the covers of a book, welcoming passing readers. Visitors can take or leave something to read, or take advantage of the seating integrated into the structure. At night, when the doors are closed, the interior's bright, energy-efficient LED lights, powered by solar panels on the roof, filter through the grid of wooden slats, transforming The Story Pod into an urban lantern which provides a unique ambience for night markets or community events
The Story Pod from Akb, which echoes the renowned design of the firm's residential projects, has won a number of awards, most recently the 2019 OAA SHIFT Infrastructure/Architecture Challenge Award and in 2018 the Wood Design & Building Magazine Citation Award
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