Nikolaj Mentze fits out Cobe's Copenhagen studio with architecture bookshop
Danish architect Nikolaj Mentze has overhauled the interior of Cobe's architecture studio in Copenhagen by adding a bookshop dedicated to publications on the built environment.
The bookshop, which opened during the annual festival 3 Days of Design earlier this month, features books on architecture, urbanism, landscape and design displayed on bespoke aluminium shelving and wooden display cases.
Mentze, founder of architecture firm Studio 0405, designed the interior for Cobe with the aim of making architecture more accessible to the public.
Occupying the front section of the architecture office near the street-facing glass doors, the interior features a long wooden bench for visitors to sit and read books from Danish and international publishers, as well as Cobe's own publications.
"My aim was to create a place that is calm and focused for reading, while also welcoming and community-focused – a threshold that spills out to the street," Mentze told Dezeen.
"Inside, I organised an intimate topology of displays, a long research bench and a place for curated micro-exhibitions to host talks, launches and informal gatherings," he continued.
"It acts as a hybrid between a reading room, a cabinet of curiosities and Cobe's public-minded agenda."
Set against a backdrop of aircrete walls, Mentze added aluminium bookshelves and tables to complement the building's industrial appearance.
Rather than a solely commercial space, Cobe wanted the bookshop to be a place for visitors to spend time reading, studying the studio's architectural models and connecting with others over discussions on architecture.
The bookshop follows the opening of Cobe's studio cafe in 2019 and aligns with its goal of opening its office up to the wider city.
"We've felt for years that Copenhagen was missing a dedicated architecture bookstore," said Cobe founder Dan Stubbergaard. "For a city with such a strong architectural culture, there wasn't really such a place."
"Books have always played an important part in our work," Stubbergaard continued. "By bringing a bookstore into the studio, we hope to invite people into the discussions that shape our work."
"At a time when so much of our attention is directed towards screens, there is something meaningful about creating a physical space where people can slow down, reflect and meet through a shared interest in architecture."
Projects recently revealed by Cobe include plans to transform an IKEA warehouse into a furniture museum and a pair of farm buildings set to be overhauled into a museum dedicated to Danish furniture designer Hans J Wegner.
The photography is by Francisco Tirado.
The post Nikolaj Mentze fits out Cobe's Copenhagen studio with architecture bookshop appeared first on Dezeen.
