SZ-Architects repurposes former prison guard tower in china

 

SZ-Architects transforms a former prison guard tower in Hefei, China, into a 70-square-meter, 24-hour bookstore. Titled A Very Small 24-Hour Bookstore, the project reclaims a derelict structure inside the Hechai 1972 Creative Park, once the Anhui Provincial Hefei Prison, and repurposes it as an intimate, publicly accessible reading space for the surrounding neighborhood.

 

The architects work with the constraints of the building’s past. The footprint of the tower measures just seven square meters on the ground floor, while its former patrol platform on the second level offers panoramic views of the park. Original window grilles, once fitted with machine-gun mounts and observation ports, remain legible, preserving the clarity of the former role of the structure. The new program, a tiny bookstore open at all hours, introduces a radically different rhythm into this formerly controlled and surveilled environment.

tiny 24-hour bookstore by SZ-architects crowns former prison watchtower in china
all images by Mata Okawa

 

 

a building discovered by chance becomes a 24-hour bookstore

 

The project began with an accidental discovery. While visiting the site for an unrelated restaurant project, the Shanghai- and Tokyo-based architects noticed the abandoned guard tower and learned it had been left untouched during the broader renovation of the park. They proposed converting it into a micro-bookstore for local residents, a place that would remain open and unguarded, in contrast to its original function.

 

This conceptual shift resonates with the philosophy of A Very Small Bookstore, which originated by the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. The bookstore operates on a principle of openness: its books come from personal collections and donations, its walls are covered with handwritten postcards, and its staff consists of four adopted stray cats. Rather than being curated as a commercial destination, it functions as a social archive shaped by its visitors.

 

tiny 24-hour bookstore by SZ-architects crowns former prison watchtower in china
the elevated reading room becomes visible through the surrounding greenery

 

 

reinforcing the old, suspending the new

 

Because the original drawings from 1997 were no longer available, the building underwent a full geotechnical and structural reassessment before renovation could begin. The architects reinforced the original frame by wrapping the corner columns with steel hoops, strengthening the second-floor slab, and enlarging the concrete beam sections of the roof. Parts of the exterior walls were treated with a high-ductility concrete joint-filling technique to increase their structural capacity.

 

To minimize additional loads while accommodating new uses, SZ-Architects introduced a suspended steel structural system. Eight C-shaped steel channels laid across the reinforced roof beams extend outward, allowing the new upper floor to cantilever beyond the original footprint. These channels clamp vertical steel hanger rods, which are in turn anchored to matching steel members beneath the original slab, composing a self-contained, suspended frame that supports circulation, seating, and shelving without overburdening the existing structure. An external cantilevered balcony, inserted through one of the original window openings, further extends the bookstore outward.

tiny 24-hour bookstore by SZ-architects crowns former prison watchtower in china
the small-scale structure is embedded among trees and parking areas

 

 

from surveillance to shared presence

 

Physical and infrastructural limitations directly shaped the form of the building. High-voltage cables running close to the west side forced the architects to rotate the roof and trim its corners, generating a four-leaf clover-like silhouette. The new floor slab is made of wood–plastic composite decking, chosen to reduce structural load.

 

Bookshelves line all four sides of the upper level, while reading desks are integrated into the primary steel structure. The furniture combines the logic of scaffolding with suspended stainless-steel rods, making sure that everything is lightly held in place. The walls are intentionally left mostly blank. Over time, the architects hope they will once again fill with postcards, drawings, and messages, traces of everyday life replacing the rigid codes of surveillance. 

Sliding windows at each corner open to panoramic views, turning the former lookout post into a shared vantage point. The original staircase was reinforced and enclosed to form an interior service shaft. Its exterior face functions as a message wall, where visitors leave handwritten notes. Two outdoor platforms, one to the north, one to the south, host coffee service and small events, further extending the bookstore into the park.

 

What makes A Very Small 24-Hour Bookstore compelling is not its scale, but its inversion of meaning. A structure once dedicated to observation, control, and restriction now operates through openness, trust, and informal occupation. 

tiny 24-hour bookstore by SZ-architects crowns former prison watchtower in china
a shaded outdoor seating area extends the bookstore into the public realm