Architect：GPT+

Location：Shanghai, China; | ;View Map

Project Year：2022

Category：Offices

Keywords: 

Industrial memory, Black box, Light and line, Exposure;

Project Background

Hengshan Road is the most humanistic street in Shanghai, and now many creative institutions gather on it;

The project is located in The Weave Wujie, Shanghai's online fashion and art district, formerly known as Shanghai's Ninth Silk Weaving Factory;  After renovation in 2022, it will become a model project for the revitalization of Shanghai Industrial Park.

This is an office space design for an architectural design firm, located in the most charming area of Shanghai, near Hengshan Road, with an area of 203 square meters and two floors. The architectural design firm wanted to convey their understanding of "Minimalism" and "Renovation" through the design of this space.  The building's interior, with its vicissitudes of floors and beams, speaks of a glorious past;

Before Designing

At the beginning of the design process, the designers pondered a question that has always plagued all architects: what is the essence of design?

On the "essence of design": Borrowing from Kenya Hara, "Design is the ability to capture the essence of things", then this ability must be strong and clean. 

Mies van der Rohe's "LESS IS MORE" has been so popular, but "LESS" is the essence. Therefore, the goal of this design is not only to create a space, but also to reflect the understanding of architectural design.

Modern architecture has developed in a very diverse way and presents many ideas. The incoming architectural design firm focus on urban renewal and modern space, and their works express some design ideas: for example, reflections on "excessive" design; reflections on "showy" and "showy material" approaches; With such reflections, a "LESS IS LESS" design was created from intuition.

Project Presentation

"LESS IS LESS" is to return design to its functional nature, without redundant design;

The functional elements make an architectural volume aesthetic; The staircase to the upper and lower floors forms a "black box" embedded by steel plates.

There is not a single purely decorative element: the back side of the seating area and the terrace is the SLOGAN of the design company, which combines the function of concealment with the function of indication;

The design of the space reflects the architectural "black, white and grey" hierarchy;

Exposing the prefabricated panels on the top of the original space, as well as the concrete material on the partial walls, to preserve the industrial memory of the original building;

Light is both the line that outlines the space and the building block of floodlighting; The use of steel bar lights is inspired by the lines of architectural sketches; reflecting the character of the design firm;

Let the design return to its original appearance, "LESS IS LESS", this is the essence of design,maybe.  The project space design uses the least and purest architectural language to realize the function, so that the space becomes the background of people's free life, not the main character that takes away the main character.

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