A greyscale palette of two materials - washed granolithic plaster juxtaposed with brushed stainless steel, one is rough and dull while the other is sterile and reflective, which formed an austere monochrome space for this two-stories menswear select shop.
In this project, Atelier tao+c boldly applied washed granolithic plaster as the main material for interior walls and floors. The material has a different name - Shanghai plaster, which was favored in 1920s Shanghai for the city’s iconic Art Deco façades, later spreading to Hong Kong and Malaysia. A material which are mixed with granitic stones and cement to form a gentle and rough texture. Reusing this once-popular yet forgotten material, the architects seek to evoke memories of the most dynamic and creative era and city to convey a more "local" sense of the street. Responding to the owners’ request to feature domestic street-style fashion brands in the store and promote local young designers.
Located in a banal shopping mall in Zhengzhou, the architect puts a lightweight inner shell made of shanghai plaster and perforated stainless steel alone the perimeter of existing building, enclosed a mysterious inner field. The sun shines through the perforated stainless steel, projected evocative oblong spots onto the fine-grained ground.
The center of ground floor is recessed by three steps to create a sunken place in front of the reception desk, an area that can be utilized for designer talks and special events and loosely divide the display area and the activity area. Above, the slab was cut away to form a soaring double-height space with the original beams were exposed and became a cross in the opening. A staircase surrounded by shanghai plaster passes through, the horizontal linear lightings hanging on the ceiling of the ground floor running up and vertically across the opening and visually connects two layers.
On both floors, there is respectively a glass box as the display and installation place. The one on ground floor breaks used for rotating window displays juts out of JHW’s storefront. The glass corridor on the upper floor crossed over the opening.
All The display items and vitrines are assembled with 5mm-thick stainless steel plates. The metal plates intersected together and avoid the welding marks. The boxy body of vitrines contrasted with the slim lines of clothing railings, formed a complete and independent display system.
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