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      FOG Architecture creates kinetic display for Super Seed's Hangzhou store

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      Chinese studio FOG Architecture has added over a hundred moving display boxes to skincare brand Super Seed’s latest retail store in Hangzhou, China.

      The studio installed 168 kinetic semitransparent acrylic boxes in the main product display area of the 300-square-metre store.
      Its aim was for the boxes to help create a variety of different display combinations, while also encouraging more interactions between the visitors and the products.
      Over one hundred movable acrylic display boxes are installed at the storeAn electric motor moves the boxes, which were programmed to move vertically in two different ways.
      Under the static mode, the boxes can move up and down to one of three height levels, while under the dynamic mode, seven height levels can be selected.

      FOG Architecture uses steel ropes and stranded wires to hang the boxes from the ceiling and selected 20 millimetres per second as their moving speed after multiple tests, to ensure maximum security and smooth movement.
      The boxes can move up and down at various heights”It challenges the divorce between fixtures and furnishings in traditional spaces by softening the borderlines between itself and the walls, floor, ceiling, and lighting,” FOG Architecture said of the installation.
      “This novel installation redefines the formal expression of the functionality of shelves, producing a unique spatial experience,” it added.
      Display areas can be easily transformed for different purposesThe studio has also designed a series of modular chairs to go with the display boxes. These wooden chairs can be placed next to the acrylic boxes when they’re at floor level, helping to create a seating and display area.
      “Unique shopping experiences rely on the creative interpretation of conventional spaces and the innovative application of everyday functionalities,” said the studio.
      “In this case, we envisioned a retail method different from packed shelving units, and proposed a multipurpose, interactive, and interesting display structure.”

      FOG Architecture creates “modern cave” for ToSummer’s Beijing store

      Next to the product display area, there are five “labs” where visitors can try out the products. FOG Architecture used metal counters to give this area a futuristic feel that would highlight Super Seed’s technology and research background.
      At the entrance of the store, an inflatable wall adds softness to the otherwise hard space where metal, glass and acrylic are the main materials.
      Metal counters are used to make the space feel like a labVarious plant exhibitions can be found throughout the store in a nod to the fact that the skincare brand is plant-based.
      Dried plants were placed in capsule-shaped containers, while green plants were mixed with the beauty products in the acrylic display boxes, creating an intriguing visual effect through the frosted semitransparent boxes.
      An inflatable wall installation is used to soften the spaceFOG Architecture was founded by Zheng Yu and Zhan Di and has offices in London, Shanghai and Chongqing.
      Its recently finished projects include fragrance brand To Summer’s flagship store in Shanghai, which was longlisted in the large retail interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
      The photography is by SFAP.
      Project credits:
      Design team: Deng Ye, Zou Dejing, Hou Shaokai, Zhang Wanyi, Jiang Lu, Zhan Di, Zheng YuLighting design: Zhang Xu (LB Design)Installation Design: Shanghai Faithture Props Co., Ltd.Structure Consultant: Tao XinweiManaging Contractor: Youlong Jinsheng

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      Three hundred beer crates form furnishings of Shenyang's Fatface Coffee shop

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      Bottle-green beer crates are stacked to construct a long counter and matching stools in this pop-up coffee shop in Shenyang, China, designed by architecture practice Baicai.

      Installed in the city’s Window Gallery for a month, the pop-up shop belongs to local cafe Fatface Coffee. Its interior makes use of 300 beer cases to create a central bar and stools with cork seat pads.
      Shenyang’s Fatface Coffee pop-up uses beer crates as furnitureShortlisted in the small interiors category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards, the design hopes to merge Shenyang’s love of beer with its emerging coffee culture.
      “Shenyang is a city beaming with a love for beer,” local studio Bacai explained. “The city’s fondness for beer is expressed in its popularity across the streets and its ever-presence in the daily converse of the residents.”
      “How can the coffee culture respond to the city’s attachment to beer? This pop-up shop aspires to explore the energising dynamics between the two seemingly opposite cultures.”

      Cork was used to form seat pads for the stoolsThe studio says it chose to work with beer crates as they are economical, modular, reusable and help to create a strong visual identity inside the Fatface Coffee shop.
      Custom-made cork seat pads sit on top of the beer cases to form the stools, while a glass panel was cut into shape to create the bar’s countertop.

      Sik Mul Sung

      “The strategy explores the endless possibilities of what a beer case could be: a bar counter, seating of various heights, an exhibition stage or a screen to hide the frameworks for water and electricity,” said Baicai.
      “The project experiments with the confluence between beer and coffee, bridging meaningful dialogues between what is local and what is imported.”
      The bar counter is topped with a glass sheetFatface Coffee’s large central bar was designed to challenge the conventional floor plan of a cafe, and according to Baicai creates a more open, democratic space where baristas and guests can circulate freely.
      Other projects shortlisted in the small interiors category at this year’s Dezeen Awards include a yellow attic conversion in Antwerp and a serene timber and travertine reading room in Shanghai by Atelier Tao+C.
      The photography is by Topia Vision.

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      Atelier Tao+C creates serene timber and travertine reading room

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      Two vacant ground-floor rooms and an adjoining greenhouse were knocked together and lined with bookshelves to form this private library, designed by Atelier Tao+C for a venture capital firm in Shanghai.

      Set in a converted 1980s house, which is home to the offices of VC fund Whales Capital, the reading room can accommodate up to 12 people and is shared between the company’s employees and the owner’s friends.
      Atelier Tao+C has created a reading room for Whales CapitalAll of the rooms are enclosed by immovable, load-bearing walls, which local practice Atelier Tao+C had to integrate into the design while creating the impression of being in one continuous 76-square-metre space.
      To this effect, the original doors and windows were removed and three openings – measuring between two and three metres wide – were created to connect the rooms.
      The space is lined with wooden bookshelvesThe remaining wall sections are hidden from view by new architectural elements including a set of semi-circular wooden bookshelves, which run through the two ground-floor rooms to form a pair of small, quiet reading nooks.

      The structural walls connecting these rooms to the old glasshouse were wrapped in creamy white travertine to create a kind of “sculptural volume”, Atelier Tao+C explained.
      Skylights funnel natural light into the interiorAs a result, the studio says the walls and structural columns are “dissolved” into the space to create the feeling of a more open-plan interior.
      In the old greenhouse, a timber structure was inserted into the building’s glass shell, with bookshelves integrated into its wooden beams and columns to create a seamless design.

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      This structure also forms a wooden ceiling inside the glasshouse, with strategically placed round and square skylights to temper the bright daylight from outside and create a more pleasant reading environment.
      Spread across the interior are four different seating areas: a small study table for solo work, a shared meeting table, a reading booth for one person and a sofa seat where multiple people can talk and relax.
      White travertine was used to obscure the building’s original brick wallsA Private Reading Room has been shortlisted in the small interiors category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
      Atelier Tao+C, which is run by designers Chunyan Cai and Tao Liu, is also shortlisted for emerging interior design studio this year, alongside Sydney firm Alexander & Co, Barcelona-based Raúl Sánchez Architects and London practice House of Grey.
      The photography is by Wen Studio.

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      Offhand Practice designs second-hand bookshop in Shanghai to mimic greengrocer

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      Used books are displayed in supermarket-style crates at the Deja Vu Recycle Store in Shanghai, which local studio Offhand Practice has designed to counter the “shabby” image associated with second-hand shops.

      The store, which also carries pre-owned fashion, is located on the first and second floor of a three-storey building on Shanghai’s buzzy Anfu Road.
      The Deja Vu Recycle Store is located in Shanghai’s Anfu RoadOn the interior, Chinese architecture studio Offhand Practice hoped to create a relaxed shopping environment despite the large number of goods on offer, which includes more than 2,000 pieces of clothing.
      With this aim, the studio set out to mimic the experience of going to a greengrocer by displaying clothes and books on shelves typically used to hold fruits and vegetables, while giving all products equal prominence regardless of price.
      A long gallery-like corridor leads to the staircase for the first floor”Picking up books in the way of picking up vegetables and fruits gives a feeling of enriching the spiritual basket,” Offhand Practice explained.

      On the ground floor, the studio recessed the building’s entrance and framed it in cream-coloured mosaic tiles to create a small shelter while making the towering facade feel more welcoming.
      Second-hand books are displayed in supermarket-style cratesOne of the main challenges for the studio was to encourage passersby to walk through the building’s ground floor – consisting of a long corridor bookended with space for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment– and climb the stairs to reach the Deja Vu Recycle Store.
      This was achieved by turning the corridor into a kind of gallery, showcasing the process of refurbishing second-hand goods.
      “Taking advantage of the narrowness, we identified spatial depth through layers of opening,” the studio explained.

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      Books are displayed on the building’s first floor and clothing on the second. Both levels have an open-plan layout with circulation routes defined by shelving and clothes rails.
      Mosaic tiles made from stone off-cuts were used to form decorative wainscoting in the same creamy beige colour as the facade, which channels 1970s Shanghai interiors.
      Contrasting green tiles were used to frame the generous window openings revealed during the building’s renovation, and to form integrated window seats.
      Green mosaic tiles were used to frame the building’s windowsNatural pine was used to form the cashier counter, shelves and book crates to add a sense of warmth to the interior.
      Offhand Practice said it designed the store to break with negative preconceptions around second-hand stores being “dull, disorganised and piled with shabby objects”.
      “Deja Vu Recycle Store breaks the stereotypical image of a second-hand store and erases the ritualistic impression of a traditional bookstore full of full-height bookshelves,” the studio said.
      The tiles were also used to emphasise arches and other architectural detailsThe store was recently been shortlisted for large retail interior of the year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
      Other projects in the running include a surrealist pop-up shop designed by Random Studio for fashion brand Jacquemus and a concept store that Schemata Architects has created for an outdoor brand in South Korea.
      The photography is by Hu Yanyun.

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      Superimpose Architecture creates subterranean conference centre based on Victorian shopping arcade

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      Superimpose Architecture used a traditional shopping-arcade typology to transform the dark basement of a commercial development in Hangzhou, China, into The Arcade conference centre.

      Designed to appeal to a young audience, The Arcade is a subterranean space made up of a wide L-shaped corridor lined with meeting rooms, a cafe, a lobby and an auditorium.
      The Arcade is a subterranean conference centre that was designed by Superimpose ArchitectureInserted between structural concrete columns, the spaces have white facades that resemble shop fronts.
      When designing the centre, Rotterdam and Beijing-based Superimpose Architecture looked to the design of traditional shopping arcades that were popular in Europe from the 18th to the 20th century.
      Wide L-shaped corridors are lined with work and social facilitiesThe Victorian arcades typically connected two busy streets and were lined on both sides with shops sitting under a series of arches supported by a colonnade.

      Lit by daylight funnelled in through glass skylights, the shopping arcades served as protected indoor retail environments and social gathering spaces.
      To combat the lack of natural light in The Arcade conference centre, Superimpose Architecture inserted two long linear “floating” acrylic ceiling boxes that mimic the colour and intensity of natural daylight along the ceiling of its two main corridors.

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      “The light boxes have an immediate visual impact in the basement and serve as a clear indicator for circulation,” said Superimpose Architecture. “The two axes can also be used as exhibition space.”
      Each conference room was given a distinct character through the use of different colours, light fixtures and materials.
      Acrylic ceiling boxes mimic natural daylightThe seating in the large auditorium is organised in a semi-circle that runs the entire length of the space to create a forum-like setting.
      Linear light boxes follow the seating arrangement, while wooden louvres and red carpet help to improve acoustics and add warmth. The facade of the auditorium can be fully opened, allowing the room to expand and become part of the entrance area for events.
      Other subterranean office interiors include this silver-coloured office extension in Munich and an office in London with a “speak-easy style” basement.

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      Neri&Hu creates “nomadic” office interiors for Shanghai media company

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      Chinese architecture studio Neri&Hu has designed a flexible office space in Shanghai for the changing needs of media company Red+Plus Studio’s employees.

      The Shanghai-based studio stripped back the 529-square-metre space, located on the second floor of a factory building within a former industrial campus, by removing numerous layers of previous renovations.
      The concrete structure is exposed in the office’s central spaceThe concrete structure of the building was left exposed throughout with a number of columns breaking up a large multi-use space at the centre of the office.
      Large steps within this space can be used as seating for presentations with a hidden projector placed in the roof.
      The existing skylights were used to light the desksTwo stainless-steel structures enclose meeting rooms alongside this main space, while private offices are arranged alongside it.

      A room with stainless-steel desks, which is lit by six pre-existing skylights in the sloping roof, stretches along one edge of the room.
      “With the strength of the building’s original character revealed, any additions to the space were carefully applied in layers that allow what is behind to coexist, inhabiting the liminal space between past and present,” explained the studio.
      A hidden projector can be lowered to create a screening roomThe studio used “nomad” as the design concept, based on the client’s request for flexible working spaces.
      Spaces were designed so that they can serve multiple functions, with several sliding doors created to provide flexibility and allow the company to alter the workspace dependent on future needs.

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      “Much like the itinerant populations that move between cities to offer specialized services, the people working for and with this agency needed their spaces to transform according to various scenarios,” said the studio.
      Stainless steel and frosted glass were widely used throughout the space to contrast the concrete structure and reflect the changing usage. Galvanized steel and mesh were selected as they will change colour over time.
      Various office rooms are placed at the edge of the main spaceNeri&Hu’s other recent projects include a courtyard house in Singapore and a guesthouse wrapped in metal mesh in Shenzhen.
      The photography is by Zhu Runzi.
      Project credits:
      Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana HuAssociate: Siyu ChenDesign team: Jerry Guo, Kenneth Qiao, Jinghan Li, Ath Supornchai, Kany Liu, Greg WuFF&E design and procurement: Design RepublicContractor: Shanghai Idea Mechanics Interior Designers Contractors

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      Vermilion Zhou Design Group opts for rich hues in revamp of Haidilao hotpot restaurant

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      Shades of blue and green feature throughout this hotpot restaurant in Shenzhen, which has been updated by Chinese studio Vermilion Zhou Design Group.

      Haidilao, which was established in 1994, is the biggest hotpot restaurant chain in China, with overseas branches in cities such as London, New York and Sydney.
      When its Shenzhen location was in need of a revamp, Vermilion Zhou Design Group was brought in to lead on the design.
      Sky-blue seating lies at the centre of the restaurantFrom the outset, the Shanghai-based studio knew it wanted to avoid the red and black colour scheme that has previously been used in Haidilao restaurants.
      The space has instead been decked out in shades of blue and green that are meant to nod to the chain’s use of natural, fresh ingredients.

      At the periphery of the floor plan are jade-green dining cabinsAt the heart of the restaurant is a bank of sky-blue dining chairs accompanied by tables with flecked, terrazzo-style countertops.
      Bands of shiny brass panelling have been suspended from the ceiling overhead, inset with LED ticker boards that project interactive messages to diners.
      A large LED screen has also been integrated into Haidilao’s facade; it displays moving silhouettes of different people, hinting at the buzzing activity of the restaurant’s interior.
      Tables have terrazzo-style countertopsAround the periphery of the main dining room is a sequence of high-backed, jade-green booths that form intimate “cabins” where small groups can enjoy their meals.
      There are also a number of cosy nooks designed to accommodate solo diners.
      Jade-coloured fixtures and furnishings also appear in the private dining roomTowards the rear of Haidilao there is a drinks counter and a private dining room that can be hired out for special occasions. Tall pivoting doors help close the space off from the rest of the floor plan.
      In keeping with the rest of the restaurant, it features jade-coloured walls and brass-edged furnishings.
      In the bathrooms, terrazzo washbasins meet scalloped wallsVermilion Zhou Design Group has created a small manicure bar within the restaurant’s entryway – not only is it meant to lure in more passersby, but it also gives prospective diners a fun way to kill time while waiting for a table.
      The bar has been rendered blush-pink, boldly deviating from the restaurant’s colour scheme, and has a scallop feature wall.
      Scalloped surfaces go on to appear in the customer bathrooms, which have been finished with oblong mirrors and terrazzo-like washbasins.
      A pink nail manicure bar has been created in Haidilao’s entrywayThere are a number of visually striking hotpot restaurants across China.
      Examples include Jin Sheng Long in Qinhuangdao, where diners sit among thick stucco partitions, and Xinhua Nufang in Chengdu, which perches on the edge of a lotus pond.
      The photography is by Vincent Wu.
      Project credits:
      Creative director: Kuang Ming (Ray) ChouConcept design: Ting Ho, Ming ShiInterior design: Garvin Hong, Xudong Wang, Yuqin Chou, Dandan Guo, Jing Wu, Zihao Yao, Yuxuan Li, Changsong LiLighting design: Vera Chu, Chia Huang LiaoFF&E design: Ping Xue, Ruiping HeVideo: Ming Shi

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      GOA tops Metasequoia Grove Restaurant with cluster of tree-informed pyramids

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      Chinese studio Group of Architects has created a restaurant topped with a canopy made from a series of aluminium pyramidal forms in the village of Suzhou, China.

      The structure, which was informed by a grove of metasequoia trees, was designed by Group of Architects (GOA) for a waterside site in China’s Jiangnan region.
      Metasequoia Grove Restaurant by Group of Architects features a canopy inspired by the trees on site”We want the design of Metasequoia Grove Restaurant to integrate into its natural setting and become a part of the landscape,” the project’s leading architect Chen Binxin told Dezeen.
      “The forms of the metasequoia trees are abstracted and translated into a purely geometric architectural language, a pyramidal frustum.”
      The restaurant features a group of pyramidal aluminium formsMultiple versions of the pyramidal shape in three different scales form the forest-like canopy that tops the restaurant.

      Skylights top each pyramidal module, letting light enter the interior, while short eaves at the canopy’s base frame views across the surrounding wetland.
      Light enters the space through the skylights and perforations in the pyramidsThe pyramidal roof modules comprise three layers: an outer layer of perforated aluminium panels, a central glass layer that increases luminosity, and an inner layer of wood panels.
      “We chose steel columns to respond to the density and verticality of tree trunks and perforated aluminium panels as the roof canopies’ outer layer to imitate the dancing sunlight spots and shadows that filter through leaves,” said Chen.

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      Kitchens and private dining balconies are located in the restaurant’s eastern wing, which is wrapped in a rubble stone facade.
      In an effort to emphasise the lightness of the structure, the studio designed the building to have only 10 load-bearing columns, which have been arranged around the edges of the space. Opposite each of the load-bearing columns is a group of three columns along the window frames.
      Slim columns support the weight of the structureBy adding the same paving to the interior and the waterside terrace, the studio aimed to create a cohesive aesthetic across the restaurant and its exterior.
      Two-metre-wide, single-bay floor-to-ceiling windows connected by narrow frames enhance the visual openness of the space.
      The roof hangs over dining spaces surrounded by glass wallsSet to open in October, the restaurant will be used as both a dining space for visitors and a small banquet hall for holding public events.
      It is part of a larger governmental scheme for the redevelopment of Shanwan village, which will include a B&B also designed by the studio, currently under construction. The proposed development includes guest rooms, additional restaurants, an outdoor events space and a pool, alongside preserved residential houses and forests.
      “As architects, we want to increase the recognition and attention to this village by reinforcing a sense of local identity through the design and turning this project into an attractor to promote the local ecotourism industry while activating the surrounding areas,” said Chen.
      Metasequoia Grove Restaurant by Group of Architects has been longlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
      Other restaurants in China featured on Dezeen include Cheng Chung Design’s restaurant inside a brick art installation and a 0321’s restaurant containing a florist enclosed in a translucent pink box.
      The photography is by In Between.

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