the M stand at jing'an temple by dazhou and associates opens in china

the M stand at jing’an temple is a new cylindrical café by DAA

located on the second floor of the jiuguang shopping mall in shanghai, the M stand at jing’an temple is a new coffee shop completed by chinese architecture firm dazhou and associates (DAA). the final design presents itself as a cylindrical café space with a panoramic glass façade and sleek, geometrical compositions that shape the interiors. when night falls, M stand converts into a cocktail bar with dimmed lighting that invokes a quieter and more intimate experience.

all images © tian fangfang

a space infused with irregular geometries and divisions

the original volume of the café had an irregular, streamlined shape that offered a wide view from the terrace, and had an impressive height of about 4.8 meters. the starting point for dazhou and associates (DAA), therefore, was to make full use of that ceiling height all while creating an experience suitable for exploration and conversation. when it came to spatial organization, the irregular plan did not allow for too much division – and to overcome that constriction, the architects designed four elliptical structures from top to the bottom that visually separate the café into four different rooms and functions without the need for partitions.

view of the bar from the entrance point of the M stand café

right under one of the hanging cylinders is a small and terraced seating block that guests can climb on and have ‘a closer interaction with the cylinder structure while ensuring visual permeability,’ share the DAA team. the bar, the steps, the fixed seats and other furniture are placed in geometric arrangements to echo the ‘superstructure’ of the café. meanwhile, the seemingly random plane floating next to the four cylinders implies a contrasting relationship: trying to find some order in the irregular.

a small terraced area sits under one of the cylinder structures

view of the café from atop the terraced area

the M stand café converts into a cocktail bar at night

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project info:

name: M stand at jing’an temple

location: jing’an temple, shanghai, china
architecture & interiors: dazhou and associates (DAA)

designers: tang dazhou, zhu tianrui, hu lei

photography: tian fangfang

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edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom

DAA

nov 21, 2021