The Reading Vessel was my project entry  for the reading room competition, organized by Bee Breeders. The project was shortlisted. The aim was to develop a small structure that could be embedded in existing spaces and multiple locations. The reading room should include 2 reading seats, a bicycle rack and a space for book exchange. My project explored the relationship between reading and travel.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ― St. Augustine

When you travel, you open yourself to new experiences. You come across different cultures, you meet new people and make new discoveries. You go somewhere else with an inspiring new landscape. You slow down your pace and observe carefully. The same thing happens when you read a book.

The reading vessel is where you embark on a new adventure. It’s form resembles that of a sailing boat. The perimeter (the hull) is made up of wooden planks – the same material that makes up boats and paper. Along the hull’s interior, wooden shelves serve as the exchange spot for books. The mast, the pilar right at the vessel’s center, carries three seating posts for the readers. Onto the mast, a sailcloth is attached which acts as a roof and protects the readers and the books from the rain. The sailcloth may be customized with marketing material. A lamp is attached to the mast, thus adequately illuminating the room for the readers. Outside the vessel, the mast is transformed into a bicycle rack.

“We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth.” ― John Lubbock, The pleasures of life

Credits

Project Author

Mariana Magalhães Costa

3D Render

Gustavo Andrade