Title: 62 Beiting Lane Store Designed by: mou architecture studio
Architect: Zhuang Wu
Project team: Shiyu Fu , Jing Chen ,Yiwen Li
Location: Nanjing, China
Usage: Commercial retail
Building area: 600㎡
Completion: 2022
Main Material: concrete blocks, cement, stone, willow wood plywood
Photographer: Ang Wu
On the ground floor is the outdoor lifestyle brand ABC CAMPING COUTRY, which carries the functions of coffee, clothing, outdoor equipment exhibition and retail, etc. We put in a "kiosk" between the two columns, which runs through the inside and outside of the building, and serves as a window to the inside of the building and to the street, meeting the needs of the daily coffee operation and sales. The display arrangement makes use of the wall space to avoid creating visual obstacles in the middle area, and we do not limit all the functions, leaving the flexible use mechanism of the middle core area to the shop operator. The opening and closing of the internal space and the external gable between the system of folding glass doors integrates with the external street, welcoming anyone to enter and releasing a goodwill and friendliness to the city and the street.
On the first floor is the Lost and Found x 36ou Life Proposal Store, which carries the functions of displaying and selling furniture, clothing, and household selections; daily office; negotiation; and storage, as well as the flexibility to cope with event displays. The original site was a formal space supported by beams and pillars, and the first step in the design was to break the homogeneity of this initial state and create the impression of a shop that allows people to explore and take their time to browse. We created an internal garden between the square and the circle, hoping to bring the pleasure of "visiting the garden" while choosing objects. The two floors of the renovated building are opened to the public as a "city living room" and an "inward-looking garden" respectively.
The interior spaces on both levels of the building are concurrently set back to form a gable space that connects to the street. In order to preserve and sustain the original façade, we adopted a low intervention strategy, lowering the height of the façade and the frontage to 2.6m above the ground at the same time, and the special sightline relationship formed by the lowered façade becomes a shelter for people sheltering from the rain and relaxing under the gable corridor, and maintains a relatively equal dialogue line of sight with the National Museum of Fine Arts on the opposite side of the building. The original windows on the first floor, near the west side, are close to the street, and the cityscape can be seen through the glass, and the recessed cornice allows everyone to go out and experience the city and nature more realistically. For a retail shop, we try to give as much freedom as possible to the future managers and customers who will use the site. The abstracted square and curved courtyards on the first floor break the impression of a traditional shop with a desire to explore, bringing the pleasure of being able to walk, look and swim. It is not just a shop, but a more open, inclusive and equal public space where everyone can gather to maximise the use and interpretation of the cultural landmark.