Book Stop Project Intramuros | Intramuros Administration

Conceptualized in 2015 by a team of WTA architects lead by WTA Principal Architect William Ti and Beverly Locsin, the Book Stop Project is a pop-up library that explores how libraries need to evolve, attract and engage contemporary users, and promote reading for the next generations.

It was originally launched at Ayala Triangle in Makati during the Dia del Libro in April 2016, before proceeding to Intramuros, where it stayed at the Plaza Roma for two months, from May to July 2016. Other sites visited by the mobile pop-up library after Intramuros in 2016 included Plaza del Carmen in Quiapo (Jul to Sep 2016), Ayala Alabang (Sep 2016 to Jan 2017), then finally the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City (Jan to May 2017), before it finally returned to Intramuros in the first week of June 2017, where it underwent a comprehensive rehabilitation and refurbishing for two weeks, with the assistance of the Intramuros Administration.

In 2018 the Book Stop was donated to the Intramuros Administration. It is now a permanent installation at Plaza Roma.

House Rules

Follow basic health and safety protocols. We reserve the right to refuse entry to those who fail to comply with our basic safety procedures;
Books can only be exchanged with books. We encourage exchanging quality books so others can also enjoy great stories and discover new ideas and information;
Book donations are welcome. Feel free to go directly to the Book Stop;
If you wish to receive a certificate for your donation, feel free to message us via [email protected]
Honesty is the best policy!

In 2016, the Book Stop won two international awards for the Philippines: the Architizer Award in New York, where it garnered both the People’s and the Jury’s awards; and a shortlist to the World Architecture Festival in Berlin, where it was nominated as World Building for the year 2016. In 2018 it was nominated for the Haligi ng Dangal Awards.

From WTA Architecture + Design Studio:

“Books are eternal, stories are passed down from one generation to the next, and stories are one of the greatest sources of creativity and invention. This makes libraries essential to the development of a more knowledgeable community and a critical and active citizenry. How are libraries relevant today? Are libraries front page news? How do we activate our public spaces and make people value them more? Should we reinvent the library or can the architecture be evolved to make them more suitable for today’s societies?

The Book Stop Project refocuses on the core program of a library as a place for books and reading, a space for human interaction, and a platform for learning. In place of a huge monolithic building with an extensive collection, The Book Stop is a network of mobile spaces spread across the city each with garnering far more foot traffic than the typical library. In a modern society where no library or bookstore can beat the collection of books that are available online, The Book Stop refrains from trying to reinvent the purpose of libraries. It instead works on rethinking the physical architecture and the distribution system of libraries, emphasizing casual serendipity and ease of access.”