SPMA Store / Atelier TAO + C
+ 31
- space:
225 square meters
general:
2021
Pictures: Wayne Studio
Manufacturers: Mario Tsai StudioAnd beautiful
Text description provided by the architects. On the ground floor of an old 1930s house in Shanghai, Atelier tao + c has converted a former residential space into an SPMA retail store. It is a typical corridor house, the structure is made of load-bearing brick walls and wooden floor. The design is constrained by the existing walls, with the rooms arranged one by one and giving a strong sense of depth. The architect left the existing wooden ceiling and old doors intact, and the brick walls were preserved with a white lime wash.
The renovation is not only about renovating the roof, but also includes a series of strategies to intervene in the space based on the internal structure and characteristics of the building itself. The architect inserted volumes and components made of various new materials into the house without touching the existing walls, incorporating layers of the old building’s fabric to expose the narrative between clothing and architectural space. In the process of renovating the old house with new fabric, construction marks and back trusses were revealed. Just like bare, lining, and sewing on garments, new building and insertion repair methods are directly shown.
Using free-standing volumes to conceal the original room system, three “rooms” of different materials were placed in the central area of the house to form several zones, reorganizing the house’s layout and circulation to meet retail requirements. The narrow pass naturally evolved into a twisting but planned crossing path.
A new aluminum-framed “room” connects two original rooms, reconfiguring the pathway while maintaining openness. A dressing room and display shelving system is incorporated into the new wooden room, which extends from the inside of the building to the backyard garden, creating a robust appearance that contrasts with the gloomy rooms of the old building.
In the other two independent rooms, the architect has inserted free-standing components and..,. The classic marble columns echo the room’s original window.
Rough concrete collisions connecting to the ancient brick wall illustrate the strength and connection logic of architecture. The classic marble columns echo the room’s original window.
Stone columns and concrete beams form a T-shaped structure to support the stainless steel plate and solar panel to make a lightweight roof. The transparent material allows more light to enter the corridor. The architect treats the backyard and entrance side corridor as two small wings, “installed” on a heavy brick building. Atelier tao + c revealed the structural features of the old building and introduced free-standing structures that are compact and adapted to the site, along with rich layers of dressing, to give this old building a new interior.
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