Reverence to what was and what is:

Architects BK. Architecten were tasked with converting this 15th century Dominican church into a modern bookstore with the addition of 700 square meters of shopping space. But there was one major catch: all the historical elements of the 547-year-old building including stained glass windows, pipe organ, ceiling paintings and expansive arches had to remain intact.

(The architects) managed to add three levels of retail space to the side wings of the church in a manner that the entire structure can one day be removed in order to restore the church to its original design. In addition only three colors of building materials were used to mimic the existing palette of the cathedral’s interior to further ensure that the bookstore would pay reverence to the original space.

church-1Photos by Joop van Putten and Hans Westerink.

More photos here….many more photos here…

This one goes on the bucket list…

[h/t to Alex Belth over at Bronx Banter for the lead in…]