Tradition and Innovation Meet in Concepts’ First China Store

Shanghai-based dongqi Architects was commissioned by sneaker retailer Concepts to renovate a historic Shikumen-style building into its first concept store in China. Here dongqi’s founder Jiang Nan shares more about his team’s design approach

Design Anthology: What’s unique about this building and location?

Jiang Nan: The store is situated in Xintiandi’s south block, and the historical brick building is over a century old. It represents the traditional Shanghainese architectural style of Shikumen or ‘stone warehouse gate’.

Xintiandi appeals to the interests and passions of China’s young urbanites, and it’s one of the must-visit places for both locals and tourists.

What was the project brief?

We were tasked with renovating the old Shikumen-style building into Concepts' first store in China. The design would need to reconcile two different operational needs: daily retail sales and releases of limited-edition sneakers.

How did you approach the project, and what design references or narrative did you try to incorporate into the space?

We divided the original space into two separate areas with distinguishable atmospheres. The front space along the main path is in keeping with the original Shikumen-style buildings of old Shanghai, and it’s here that product releases and events can take place. The back space is reserved for retail, and is deliberately blocked from the main path to create a sense of mystery. Unlike the front space, this space is built with Anodic aluminium oxide, stainless steel, metallic textiles, carbon fibre and terrazzo. 

The original building had a row of columns at the centre, and after careful consideration we decided to strengthen their presence to create a sense of order. We added two more rows of columns to form an umbrella-shaped system, which make the circulation aisle appear clean and pure while also bringing a sense of drama to the room.

Please tell us a little about the material choices for the space.

We selected materials that would create a dramatic contrast between the old building and the new metallic intervention. Opposing walls are covered in mirror-finished stainless steel and concrete, effectively widening the space and multiplying the number of columns. An optical illusion of depth is created by overlapping the joint lines of the terrazzo floor with the orthogonal projection of the umbrella-shaped system and changing terrazzo mixture. One may notice that the floor gradually changes colour. To match the style of the floor, the surface of the stainless-steel walls has a gradient effect from reflective to matte, which was achieved using a hand-polishing method that involves changing the polishing pressure at different parts of the walls.

Please tell us about some of the custom pieces for the space.

We built slatted shutters into our umbrella-shaped system to create various angles and different heights — this is both an aesthetic and highly functional feature as the slatted shutters accommodate displays and conceal the building’s mechanical systems. Our three-axis joints are another custom feature; the Anodic aluminium slats are fixed to each position with stainless steel joints that we designed, prototyped and produced specially for Concepts. We also used these joints to create the adjustable display racks, fitting-room walls, doorknobs and hangers.

Are there any other details about the project you want to share? 

Since the store opened, our design has been used in new and unforeseen ways. For example, the store played host to fashion shows during Shanghai Fashion Week, and talks, interactive games and art exhibitions have also already been held there.

As told to / Suzy Annetta
Images / Qingshan Wu