Five years since NTYPE first designed the DressignForFun store in Chengdu, China, this is their second time being commissioned to design the same space. They were challenged this time to provide the local people in the neighborhood and the customers of the store with a fresh look and new experiences. Recent living experiences with proximity to nature inspired the architects to integrate green plants into the façade design and throughout the entire interior space, to give people a peaceful atmosphere even though it is physically located in a busy city center of a Chinese metropolis.
They created organic volumes to guide people through this 19 meters deep L-shaped space that was originally defined by a very rigid column grid spacing from 2.7m to 4.2m. Along the continuous spatial sequence of going through the store from the street front to the back yard, the space is enriched by varied scales, sometimes it’s narrowed down while sometimes it’s opening up, as well as by carefully positioned, sized and shaped openings with specific views to arouse curiosity, to create a series of unexpected moments and to increase the depth and complexity of this very formally contained space.
For example, outside the bathroom, where the washing sink is, an oval shape opening has been created on the wall, with a view to the green plants in the back yard. The used water from the custom-designed sink is directed to a planter at a lower level.
Considering that the store is located on a street with Styphnolobium Japonicum trees and a café was requested by the client for this renewal, a very complex use of the façade has been implemented. Besides the entrance to the store, urban furniture is designed as part of the façade for the passers-by in the street. Coffee tables, seating and lounge areas with views and planters are integrated into the façade. The façade becomes an organic body engaging diverse uses at the same time.
Design and info © NTYPE
Images © ArchExist
