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Architects: designRESERVE
- Area: 50 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Huaer Lin
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Lead Architects: Fangzhou Lydia Song, Feng Yue
Text description provided by the architects. The project site is located in the village of Weipo, a suburb of Luoyang, the ancient capital city of multiple dynasties in Chinese history. Surrounded by traditional courtyards and kiln houses preserved as housing museum, the area near old marketplace is expected to see revived community life, boosted by newly constructed boutique shops, cultural venues and recreational facilities.
Among incoming business owners, the most anticipated is "White Is Good Shop" by HOWHITE, renowned for its carefully selected household goods all packaged with minimal, white-colored eco-friendly materials. Ever since its first launch in Beijing’s historic Hutong area, the brand has gained growing popularity for its unique minimalistic aesthetics.
Commissioned by HOWHITE, designRESERVE creates a popup shop in the heart of Weipo neighborhood. The fifty-square-meter new home for the brand faces the entry plaza of the village market. Inside, original concrete structure is exposed to show the rawness of the space, contrasting the brand's signature clean and orderly fashion. Outside, the building is transformed with a new envelope into a public gathering spot highlighted by its brightness and openness.
With respect to the skyline of old village, White Is Good Shop is featured with pitched roof slightly lower than adjacent heritage buildings. Against the backdrop of traditional roof slopes covered by gray barrel tiles and brick decorations, the shop's roof is distinctive with its abstract form of trapezoidal cone and pure sense of lightness. Meanwhile, the outline of the roof is carefully aligned with neighboring retail buildings to establish dialog between the historic and the contemporary. Made of twin-wall polycarbonate sheets and translucent fabric, the roof filters natural light into the store in the daytime, and glows like a lampshade at night.
Glass curtain from floor to ceiling on three storefronts seamlessly bridge pedestrians and interior. Under the extended eave, wide bench-like platform creates an interface between public and private realms. Attracted by the simple yet powerful architectural form, the confluence of villagers, tourists and shoppers has made White Is Good Shop an instant landmark in the community. Although the space is dominated by whiteness from top to bottom, inside and out, it is not monotonous at all. In WGS, white is not one color. The design team synchronizes various types of ordinary materials to create multiple and subtle shades of a white palate, reflecting brand's value towards responsible and restrained consumerism.
In order to maximize recyclability and sustainability of the shop, designRESERVE develops a frame system functioning both as structure and display for White Is Good Shop’s frequent popup events. With custom-made 30*30mm aluminum frame and standardized plexiglass partitions, the system can be easily shipped and installed for various occasions. The assembled structure forms a 2.85X2.85X2.85meter cube, and is placed at a 45-degree angle in the middle of the space to enhance circulation and viewpoints. Like a house within a house, the exhibition unit contains operable doors and windows, symbolizing the ideal home fulfilled with beautiful objects curated by HOWHITE.
