Text description provided by the architects. TIPS Fashion Store is located on the ground floor of an old French Mansion in the heart of the former French Concession of Shanghai.
The preexistence of the historic residential environment drove the design. The house is protected as well as all the existing details inside. The Store is located in the former dining and living room of the house, which kept the original woodworks, moldings, fire places, wood beams… Our design had to be a contemporary contrast within that classical ambience, respecting the existing but drastically changing the appearance of the site.
The store is a multi-brand store and we needed to give a designated space for each designer’s garments.
We decided to create a series of freestanding bodies that will hold the entire new program. They are composed by a series of pods that hold the hanging units and the storage and a long desk for display and point of sale.
All the new pods were produced in a factory from our 3d model and moved into the site, where they were installed in just 2 days minimizing the onsite work time. They are made in a folded 2.5mm metal plate and baked paint. The geometry of the pods and the connections between them drastically transformed the space enhancing some of the old details and covering others. The air conditioning, sound system and ambient lighting are hidden behind the pods.
