The INLET Block 2 is a three-storey contemporary retail insertion located along North Sichuan Road in Hongkou District, Shanghai. The intentionally simple form draws inspiration from the peculiarities of the site, designed to reflect and accentuate the site’s rich heritage. Acting as a prelude to the new large development on Hongkou Lot 18 - LifeHub @ Bund Central, which consists of offices, a mall, street retail and museums distributed across new and old buildings, The INLET Block 2 is part of a comprehensive masterplan that weaves history and culture into the retail experience.
The street elevation echoes the rhythm of the party walls from adjacent shophouses along North Sichuan Road with slim terracotta fin-walls that line the transparent façade. At night, the solidity of these fin-walls is dissolved by warm glows of light, emitted through the groove-lines. Below these fin-walls stands a series of stone portals which lead into a covered plaza that opens into a double volume space, showcasing the once hidden eastern wall of the conserved Yingchuan Villa. Running alongside this face is a laneway which connects to a network of li-longs (alleyways) extending into Gongyi Fang as part of a wider retail setting.
Surrounding the plaza, the contemporary mirror-finished spandrels and ceilings of the building is a canvas of visual extensions and juxtapositions with its reflected imagery of the details of the conserved villas. On the second floor, one can pensively admire the architecture of Yingchuan Villa through the all-glass curtain walls, or participate in the vibrant street happenings from the balconies overlooking North Sichuan Road. Ascending to the third floor, one takes a commanding view over the heritage buildings, framed through an expansive picture window looking towards the new development. Each floor is a stage-like platform, allowing history to take centre stage, simultaneously turning it into a backdrop for creations of new public memories.
The resulting architecture of Block 2 is an Urban Portal transcending time and space, responding sensitively to the historicity and scale of the site. The building extends deeply into its context, creating interesting spatial and experiential possibilities, inviting visitors to freely construct their unique retail experiences. This design puts forward a proposition on how architectural space, more than the object, take precedence when planning for building interventions within a historically rich context.
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