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Architects: So Studio
- Area: 195 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Minjie Wang
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Lead Architects: Yifan Wu, Mengjie Liu
Text description provided by the architects. In the design process, Sò Studio continuously explores the subtle dialogue between objects and spaces. In their latest project AVVENN, the designers seek variation within order, embarking on an exploration of spatial structure and emotional resonance. By extending inward, the design elevates the space's sensory richness through volume and materiality, triggering emotional responses. The space becomes a storyteller, narrating the brand's new concept: Pioneering Harmonism.
PART 01
Eliminate the boundaries of space
The AVVENN Tongren Road is a two-story street store. How can such a space stand out from the regular commercial space?
Sò Studio began with the facade, redefining the proportions of interior and exterior elements while maintaining cohesion. The expansive white facade blurs the boundary between the levels, merging them into a visual whole.
From the outside looking in, it resembles a progressively layered white space, leaving you eager to step inside and see what surprises await.
PART 02
Create the emotional atmosphere of the space
Sò Studio excels in spatial structural design. The designer reconstructs a small structure within the space, which functions like a second "roof." The extending structure warmly invites you to push the door open. Passing through the pink marble eaves, the overall mood of the space begins with tranquility, gradually evolving into a sense of dramatic intrigue.
Moving forward, the concrete-cast columns support the weight of the eaves. Specially designed "gaps" create a near-floating relationship between the eaves and the columns, generating a striking contrast between the lightness and the heaviness within the space.
Part 03
Objects and props
Sò Studio seeks a balance between functionality and aesthetics, using props to shape the architectural contours. At the center of the first floor, the curved lines of stone props stir emotions.
The clothing display area strengthens the sense of boundary through an unusual method of division. The extra-long base plate supports the hanging rods, maintaining the space's beauty whether in use or vacant. So Studio explores the diversity and harmony of materials in its design.
The designer simplifies material usage, extensively employing gray-toned marble, and cleverly divides different areas within the harmony of the materials.
Special Italian recycled bricks are used, with the surface retaining the rough texture of natural air holes. The natural colors, resulting from hand-firing, reveal hidden surprises within an orderly structure.
Mirror elements between the first and second floors flow like a river, adding an ever-changing sense of reality and illusion to the space. Everything transforms into a reflection in the mirror, unfolding like a painting.
Part 04
Infuse the space with dramatic interest
On the second floor, the design of a gently sloping roof significantly softens the perception of the street-front shop. The spatial independence, detached from its surroundings, reaches its peak on this level.
Raising the line of sight, the suspended, uniquely shaped structure seems to escape the confines of the space, creating a strong sense of volume while maintaining an ethereal lightness. It is like the opening of a captivating play, with the curtain gradually rising. People, filled with curiosity, are naturally drawn to linger here.
Beside the stairs on the second floor, the "reconstructed structure" appears once again. The blue stone doesn't encase an elevator as one might typically expect, but instead conceals a hidden fitting room.
Conclusion
In the fast-paced rhythm of modern life, commercial spaces are among the places, aside from home and the office, that most easily stir our emotions.
Each design is a new exploration of the relationship between people and their environment. Sò Studio takes minimalism to its extreme, on one hand, experimenting with large-scale structural changes, marking a design practice that blends spatial construction with emotional ambiance.
On the other hand, by designing props that occupy the delicate space between architecture and objects, it triggers the flow of emotion. The space captivates visitors, drawing them in where they are enveloped by the dramatic tension and surprises it offers.
