located in shanghai‘s M50 creative park, dongqi design has completed the refurbishment of the ‘ANZHI’ concept store to showcase buddhist shrines and souvenirs. in addition to promoting the shop’s brand identity, the design team were also challenged to create a space to house an interactive art installation – entitled ‘space’ – conceived by artist lin wanshan. the resulting project therefore intends to function both as a retail space, but also as an ideal environment to become immersed in the artwork.

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

all images © raitt liu

 

 

built within a former industrial building, the concept behind the design of the shop floor by dongqi design centers around a circle. a number of concentric rings have been formed in glazed and mirrored materials, creating the idea of a maze, with the surfaces elegantly displaying the buddhist shrines and souvenirs. as the curves spread out from the central point, the space provides an element of intrigue, inviting visitors to walk around the labyrinth and explore the pieces that are displayed. in the middle of these rings sits the eye-catching ‘space’ installation – a virtual shrine that acts as the climax of the space.

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the design is made up of reflective surfaces

 

 

a mixture of reflective surfaces have been employed to create a sense of intrigue and to distort customer’s perception as the artificial lights change. with this design element, the architects intend to blur the boundary between virtual and the reality, in keeping with the art installation by wanshan. structurally, the design uses the original building’s tall floor height and exposes the original timber roof. on the surface of the ceiling, steel tracks are implemented for the spotlights that illuminate the space at different angles. in essence, the project utilizes the existing warehouse space to provide an updated identity for the ANZHI store, while also taking the opportunity to shine a light on emerging chinese contemporary artists.

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the space houses buddhist shrines

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the concentric circles have been precisely calculated by dongqi

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the interior is characterized by cool blue color

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the mirrored surfaces pique intrigue

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

customer’s perception is distorted as they move through the circles

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

view from above

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the space is situated within an existing industrial building

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

the existing timber roof is exposed

dongqi forms concentric circles to showcase buddhist shrines in shanghai designboom

view of the entire intervention

 

 

project info:

 

project name: ‘ANZHI’

location: M50 creative park, 50 moganshan road, putuo district, shanghai, china

architect firm: dongqi design

project team: jiang nan, yujie weng, jinfan xie

completion: 11.2018

area: approx. 2174 ft2 (202 m2)

photography: raitt liu

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lynne myers | designboom