Selexyz Dominicanen Merkx + Girod Architecten There are a lot of empty churches in the Netherlands, but this one in Maastricht has found an unexpected new lease of life as a bookshop. A deconsecrated 13th-century Dominican church in the city centre had previously been used as a bicycle storage depot and a warehouse, until it was converted into a new branch of Dutch bookstore chain Selexyz in 2007. With a floor area of just 750 square metres, architects Merkx + Girod had no option but to exploit the height of the nave and so inserted a three-storey, steel structure bookshelf along one side of the church interior. This building-within-a-building solution keeps the floor of the church uncluttered, allowing the historic building to be appreciated, while providing 1,200 square metres of retail floor space. The church was restored and given a new lighting scheme as part of the project. The crypt is used for services and storage. With the hush of prayer now replaced by the hush of book browsing, Selexyz Dominicanen has been widely acclaimed as a model for the reuse of unwanted buildings. The architecture critic at UK newspaper The Guardian, Jonathan Glancey, reviewed the project following its publication on Dezeen and called it ‘one of the finest bookshops in the world’.
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