LUO Studio's Shell Book Pavilion opens and closes like a clamshell in Beijing
LUO Studio has completed the Shell Book Pavilion, a tiny community library in Beijing's Xiangyun Town that opens and closes like a clamshell. The 43-square-meter structure, completed in 2026, features a vertical opening system allowing the aluminum shell to lift incrementally, creating spatial atmospheres from fully open canopy to nearly closed interior. Built with aerospace-grade aluminum alloy for strength and reduced weight, the pavilion sits on a circular timber platform with movable seating. The project was completed in roughly twenty days with nighttime installation. Photography by Yumeng Zhu.
Key facts
- LUO Studio designed the Shell Book Pavilion in Beijing, China
- The pavilion is located in Xiangyun Town, a commercial district of Beijing
- It has a footprint of over 40 square meters (43 sq m)
- The structure opens and closes like a clamshell using a vertical opening system
- The primary frame is made of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy
- Height ranges from 2.5 to over 4 meters when open
- Construction took approximately twenty days with nighttime installation
- Completed in 2026
Entities
Artists
- LUO Studio
- Yumeng Zhu
Institutions
- LUO Studio
- Designboom
Locations
- Beijing
- China
- Xiangyun Town