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    Dezeen’s Global China exhibition spotlights cultural collaboration

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    Models, sketches and photos of works by architects and designers including Neri&Hu, Büro Ole Scheeren, Paul Priestman and FOG Architecture feature in Dezeen’s Global China: Connecting The World Through Design exhibition in Shanghai.

    Taking place during the World Design Cities Conference (WDCC) in Shanghai last month, Global China: Connecting The World Through Design showcased work by both Chinese and international architects and designers that bridge east and western ideologies.
    The exhibition space is designed by FOG ArchitectureThe exhibition features the work of six architecture and design studios, which were selected by Dezeen to demonstrate the breadth and depth of interesting work being completed in China.
    Featuring models, sketches, photography and films, the exhibition aims to demonstrate how international collaboration and cultural exchange can foster innovation while showcasing China’s influence as a growing design power.
    FOG Architecture presented a model of To Summer flagship store in BeijingThe exhibition space, designed by FOG Architecture, featured a series of architecture models on a central table, with hanging graphic boards hanging from a curved rail for visitors to look through.

    Three models from Chinese architecture studio Neri&Hu occupied the centre of the table, including Waterhouse at South Bund, Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat and Nantou City Guesthouse, that focus on adaptive-reuse and historic preservation.
    Neri&Hu presented three of their most well-known projects”We believe that urban fabric and architectural memory should be preserved with a critical approach that exemplifies the zeitgeist within the specificity of context,” said the Shanghai-based studio.
    “Our built works show the possibility of creating unexpected spatial experiences in historic buildings, giving them new life.”
    The twisted Tencent Helix is one of Ole Scheeren’s highlighted projectsBüro Ole Scheeren also presented three models, the Axiom, Tencent Helix and Shenzhen Wave, that best represent the studio’s futuristic vision for China’s urban landscape.
    AIM Architecture created AIM City, a curated collection of the studio’s projects that form an experimental city concept for renewal and innovation.
    AIM Architecture created an utopia urban city focused on renewal and innovation”Every street and building are reimagined, offering unexpected moments and fresh possibilities, embodying our vision of continuous urban evolution,” said the studio.
    “Past, present, and future merge in a dynamic landscape of regeneration and sustainability.”
    Paul Priestman showcased his latest Viewpoint conceptBritish transport designer Priestman presented his latest work Viewpoint, a sightseeing ship where all passengers would have undisrupted views of cityscapes. Also on display are hydrogen powered locomotives concept Inter-Freight as well as his previous designs for China high-speed trains.
    Chinese furniture designer Min Chen presented a bench called A Piece of Wood, that used Chinese traditional kite frame made of bamboo with the shape informed by airplane wings. His work is known for its modern expression in traditional materials and craftsmanship.
    Min Chen presented a bench that utilises Chinese craftsmanshipFOG Architecture presented ToSummer Flagship in Beijing Guozijian, which was crowned Interior Project of the Year at Dezeen Awards China last year. Others on display are HCH Showroom for Shanghai Fashion Week and Cycle Cycle Portable Bakehouse, which was longlisted at this year’s Dezeen Awards.
    The photography is by Xiaobin Lyu.
    Global China: Connecting The World Through Design exhibition ran from 27 to 30 September on the third floor of Dingbo Building as part of World Design Cities Conference 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
    Media partnership
     
    Dezeen curated the Global China: Connecting The World Through Design exhibition for WDCC as part of a media partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Chongqing’s hidden factories inform interiors of Harmay beauty store

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      Conveyor belts and cog-like display stands appear within this beauty store in Chongqing, China, designed by AIM Architecture, which takes cues from the city’s underground network of factories.

      Harmay is located at the heart of Chongqing inside a former shopping mall, with its entrance set below street level.
      A skylight punctures the ceiling of Harmay’s Chongqing store”The store is located underneath a large plaza with a multitude of steps going down into it,” explained Shanghai practice AIM Architecture.
      “So, to work with this unique spatial setting, we explored typologies of underground structures within the local context.”
      Products are displayed on conveyor belts, creating a factory-like settingA particular source of inspiration was the hundreds of bomb shelters that can be found beneath Chongqing, which were used to hide from Japanese air raids during world war two but have now been widely converted into shops, eateries and small-scale factories

      To imitate the enclosed feeling of these shelters, the practice used gypsum panels to form a dropped ceiling within the store, simultaneously concealing its exposed service ducts.
      These boards were also used to clad the store’s facade and have all been rendered in a brick-red hue on the interior.
      Some display stands were made to look like generatorsStainless steel was used to create a series of industrial-style display fixtures, nodding to the factories that now inhabit some of the shelters.
      This includes a long conveyor belt that snakes throughout the store’s main room with small grey crates placed at intervals along its surface, each containing different beauty products.
      Other stands look similar to machine cogsIn the store’s smaller peripheral rooms, products are showcased on gridded steel shelves and stands that were designed to look like generators or oversized machinery cogs.
      Simple strip lights were hung from the ceiling and a skylight was installed so that shoppers can look upwards to the outdoors, further enhancing the feeling of being underground.
      Gridded steel shelves were also been added to the storeAIM Architecture has designed a number of locations for beauty retailer Harmay, including an apothecary-style store in Hong Kong, and another in Hangzhou that resembles a 1970s office.
      This branch in Chongqing is shortlisted in the large retail interior category of the 2023 Dezeen Awards.
      Here, it is competing against other projects such as the Super Seed shop by FOG Architecture, which features more than 100 moving display boxes, and Kooo Architects’ Freitag store, which occupies an old textile factory.
      The photography is by Wen Studio. 

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      Dezeen Awards China 2023 Designers of the Year shortlist revealed

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      Dezeen has announced the Designers of the Year shortlist for the inaugural Dezeen Awards China, which includes Mario Tsai, OPEN Architecture and Ziin Life.

      The Designers of the Year award rewards the best emerging and established talent or studio across architecture, interiors and design, and recognises those whose innovative work has made a notable impact on the design, interiors and architecture industry in China.
      18 studios shortlisted across six categories
      The 18 shortlisted names, which are in the running for awards in six different Designers of the Year categories, include Beijing-based Vector Architects, shortlisted for architect of the year, Chengdu-based MUDA Architects, shortlisted for emerging interior designer of the year and Shanghai-based Studio Kae shortlisted for emerging designer of the year.
      Other shortlisted studios have designed projects such as a cultural centre with sweeping white-concrete geometries, a modular lighting system informed by scaffolding and a playful fashion boutique which references tailoring motifs.

      All Dezeen Awards China 2023 shortlisted projects revealed
      The Designers of the Year were nominated and shortlisted by Dezeen Awards China judges and Dezeen’s editorial team.
      This is the first edition of Dezeen Awards China, which is in partnership with Bentley Motors. This is the final shortlist revealed this week. The architecture, interiors and design shortlists were unveiled earlier this week.
      Above: Vector Architects Studio by Vector Architects. Photo by Vector Architects. Top: Shenzhen Fuqiang Elementary School by People’s Architecture Office. Photo by People’s Architecture OfficeAll shortlisted Designers of the Year are listed below, each with a link to a dedicated page on the Dezeen Awards China website where you can find an image and more information about the designer.
      The winner of each category will be announced at a party in Shanghai in December.
      Read on for the full Designers of the Year shortlist:
      Shanfeng Academy by OPEN Architecture. Photo by Jonathan LeijonhufvudArchitect of the year
      › OPEN Architecture› People’s Architecture Office› Vector Architects
      Haikou Xixiu Park Visitor Center by MUDA Architects. Photo by Arch-Exist and Archi-translatorEmerging architect of the year
      › HCCH Studio› MUDA Architects› Roarc Renew Architects
      Ravine by A Work of Substance. Photo by A Work of SubstanceInterior designer of the year
      › AIM Architecture› A Work of Substance› Vermilion Zhou Design Group
      Som Land Hostel by RooMoo Design Studio. Photo by RooMoo Design StudioEmerging interior designer of the year
      › FOG Architecture› Office AIO› Roomoo Design Studio
      Building within building series by Ziin Life. Photo by Ziin LifeDesigner of the year
      › Mario Tsai› U+› Ziin Life
      DONG Series by Restudio. Photo by RestudioEmerging designer of the year
      › MMR Studio› Restudio› Studio KAE
      Dezeen Awards China 2023
      Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent in China.

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