One of our favorite things about the unrelenting rate of development in China is the focus on design and architecture seen in just about every big city, where new and progressive design is a hallmark of metropolitan Chinese life. Design collective Neri & Hu of Shanghai has been at the forefront of the new modern chinese aesthetic movement since their inception in 2006, sourcing top-quality materials in craftsmanship in all their products and spaces. Recently, the group was given the task of creating a showroom space for avant grade furniture retailers in the city of Qingpu, and completely redesigned the exterior and interior of an old building.
The first floor houses the Design Republic Qingpu, showcasing products created by the top design talents in collaboration with both foreign and local designers to create products exploring this new modern Chinese aesthetic championed by Neri & Hu.
The exterior of the building has been covered with an opaque graphic wrapper made with carbon fiber panel. The main entry is characterized by a large steel funnel, nicely transitioning the urban context to the exhibition space.
The staircase, which wraps the interior of the main exhibition space, takes the visitor through multiple levels of display, while at the top floor seven large openings in the roof allow daylight into the space.
Design Republic creates new ideologies in design, retail, and merchandising by crossing traditional boundaries to merge old and new, traditional and modern, opulent and austere.
via ARCH DAILY
neri & hu
