Highly commended: Cultural building of the year 2022. Condition_Lab has designed the Pingtan Book House project in Pingtan, China.

This project showcases a staircase that never seems to end – an infinite loop of risers and treads squeezed into a traditional timber house.

The staircase itself has no destination. It is the destination. The walls of the house have been transformed into a matrix of bookshelves and windows, while the structure reawakens a sense of wonder into the rapidly evaporating Dong Minority heritage.

Intended as a form of "living heritage", Condition_Lab saw an opportunity to help inspire and reconnect children to their precious culture through the Pingtan Book House project.

A place where children can read and play at the same time – thus creating a new paradigm of rural village libraries in China.

Judges comments: "Complex and simple at the same time, this project shows that you can do more with less. By creating this magic lantern of a house in its urban context, it's a beacon to attract children to the world of learning and literature."

Architect: Condition_Lab

Project: Pingtan Book House