Paired to fantastic effect, a series of arch-forming shelving units and a black-mirrored floor create a wraparound tunnel in a Chinese bookstore, punctuated by a fracture leading visitors through the resulting passageway.

Designed by Shanghai studio XL-Muse (images Shao Feng), these floor-to-ceiling shelves in the Yangzhou Zhongshuge bookshop drew inspiration from the winding and reflective Zhen Yuan river nearby, as well as the area’s arched bridges.

“In the past, guided by water, many literati and poets visited and gathered here,” said XL-Muse, and these regional infrastructural icons were “used to be the guiding factor of culture and commerce, and they represent that the bookstore is the bond between humans and books at the same time.”

The tunnel opens up into a vast library-worth realm of further reading in the cavernous interior, with architectural elements echoing the arches of the entry corridor. The rounded-and-arched theme is carried through in thin pillars and sloping displays.

Additional interior design dimensions come into play in themed reading spaces for children and adults, with starry ceilings and other humanizing elements. Here, furniture colors and shapes soften these spaces and make them more comfortable and inviting for longer-term occupation.

Stretched or hung around the skeletons of buildings, these membranes made of plastic, fabric and metal mesh act like architectural clothing, diffusing light and obscuring the original forms. From Christo and Jeanne Claude’s iconic Wrapped Reichstag to homes enveloped in translucent ETFE, these veiled structures have an air of mystery, their second skin often made of unexpected materials like plastic bottles or camouflage-printed textiles.

Lucas Cultural Arts Museum by OMA

Once it’s finally built, after a long delay that saw its planned building site changing from Chicago to California, the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum (LCAM) could be veiled in a dome-like transparent membrane made of ETFE plastic. Designed by OMA, this second layer creates a sheltered, freely accessible sky park, and can also function as a giant movie screen.

Wrapped Reichstag by Christo + Jeanne Claude

Virtually any structure with a membrane of some sort wrapped around it evokes the iconic work of artistic duo Christo and Jeanne Claude, particularly ‘Wrapped Reichstag.’ In 1995, the artists completely covered the entire Kunstmuseum Bonn with more than a million square feet of aluminum-colored fabric as a symbol for the new Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The project cost $15 million USD and remained in place for two weeks.

Shrink-Wrapped Storefront by SO-IL

Brooklyn-based studio SO-IL literally shrink-wrapped the famous Storefront for Art and Architecture’s facade in white plastic, creating a mysterious series of bulges and a single entryway. Taking inspiration from the seasonal storage of boats, SO-IL plays with the concept of artistic preservation. It’s actually not unusual for entire buildings to be shrink-wrapped for various purposes, like sensitive renovations, but the company that helped carry out the project noted that artistic usage of the wrapping method is rare. The new facade gave the storefront a snow-white and pristine look that lasted just days as it proved a tempting surface for vandals.

Glowing Home in Japan by Suppose Design Office

Plastic sheets wrapped around the exterior of a three-story steel home in Hiroshima filter light and create a lantern-like effect at night when illuminated from within. This translucent envelope enables a light-filled home on the inside, which was no small task for architecture firm Suppose Design Office as the narrow property is boxed in on three sides. Reed shades are hung in the upper stories during the summer to keep them from overheating.

Exterior Curtains on an Australian Home

In a reversal of the usual curtained windows, Herzl Arkitekten of Austria covered an entire two-story building in oversized outdoor draperies, veiling the outside of the duplex from view. Pegs hold the curtains open around windows and doors.

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Thats A Wrap 15 Building Facades Veiled In Plastic Cloth

Furniture designer and sculptor Stelios Mousarris has added a new twist to his latest 3D-printed creation, taking a leap from sweeping cityscapes to impromptu launch platforms with a spaceship-supported glass coffee table.

The Cyprus-based creator has “been collecting toys and action figures and anything nostalgic from my childhood until this day,” and wanted to recreate that sense of carefree creativity and imagination in this latest piece, turning toy-style rockets into the centerpiece of a clever table design.

The table’s creation “combines various techniques from lathe to 3D printing, resin casting and traditional hand carved elements” while “each of the individual rockets remain unattached to the glass, allowing the user to generate their own desired structure and configuration. The table is designed to tap into the playful minds of nostalgic adults and children alike.”

In his previous works, Mousarris has taken an inception-style approach to wrapping cities, turning their inverted grounds into the supports for coffee and dining tables (using raw wood or added glass to top them off, respectively). The meticulously-detailed buildings become a layer of urban decor, allowing the rest of the materials to remain minimalist in their expression.

Its organic form fits its function as a Cité du Corps Humain (Museum of the Human Body) like a metaphorical glove – interlocked fingers were, in fact, part of the conceptual inspiration for this new museum in France.

With a medical school more than a millennium old, Montpellier is a fitting location for a nearly 10,000 square-meter place for people to “explore the human body from an artistic, scientific and societal approach through cultural activities, interactive exhibitions, performances and workshops.”

Working with local firm A+ Architecture, BIG was first shortlisted then selected to complete the project. Their ability to format compelling modes of visual communication no doubt helped improve their prospects with the jury.

Weaving together nature and the city, a series of indoor and outdoor spaces interlock to shape programmatic and public areas. “The museum’s roof functions as an ergonomic garden – a dynamic landscape of vegetal and mineral surfaces that allow the park’s visitors to explore and express their bodies in various ways – from contemplation to the performance – from relaxing to exercising – from the soothing to the challenging.”

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Human Body Museum Undulating Design Wins Competition

The best thing come in small packages – or around them. Among other places, Reddit was abuzz this year with simple but brilliant gift-wrap ideas, often done on low (or no) budget but with incredible ingenuity and enviable craftiness – here are some of the most brilliant examples of 2012, followed by a few from past holiday seasons as well, each linked back to the post within various niche SubReddits.

Under /r/LifeProTips, an industrious user linked their work on Instructables, introducing “Rip Cord wWrapping  for your quick-open convenience. I wrap all my gifts with a rip cord incorporated into it. Use a length of ribbon or a strip of tape along the middle of your gift wrap and include a tab along the edge to make it easier to quick-open your gift.” The built-in ripcord-ribbon is wrapped around then tied to a pull tab for super-fast present access – great for impatient friends and family!

For those with somewhat mixed feelings about the holiday and its associated spirit, someone uploaded the above custom angry-self wrapping paper to /r/Funny.

Under /r/Zombies, one woman wrote that her husband’s present had become infected, then linked to the image above. A very simple idea, technically and otherwise, that just incorporates two layers of paper instead of one.

Another Redditor posted a example in /r/Portal of an excellent game-themed optical illusion – now that gift-wrapper was, as they say, definitely thinking in Portals.

And speaking of geeky options, /r/Minecraft fans just love seeing pixelated gaming elements come to life, like this do-it-yourself box, created as follows: “Acquired a small wood box from a local hobby store. Attached all textures using mod podge and coated the outside to seal the paper in. This is the finished and dried product”

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Wrap Recap 10 Diy Xmas Gift Wrapping Ideas From Reddit