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Architects: NIHILII STUDIO
- Area: 810 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Dirk Weiblen
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Lead Architect: Fuzi He
Text description provided by the architects. In response to the invitation of HARMAY, nihilii studio took the unique cultural imprint of the ancient capital of the thirteen dynasties as the design inspiration in Xiaozhai, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, and took the distinctive “city wall” in the city as the entry point to extract the ‘arrow tower' and ‘corner tower' , “Yuqiang” and other traditional ancient architectural systems as the guide, combined with industrial-style decoration, insert HARMAY-style metal displays into the space, integrate the unique warehousing and retail culture into it, and create a unique aesthetic retail scene of HARMAY.
Interpret HARMAY's respect for local culture. The facade of the store is made of black aluminum plates and Low-E glass to form a scale-like module to provide sufficient natural light for the interior; the interior partitions follow the unique warehouse-style retail characteristics of HARMAY. Asymmetrical steel plate stairs are used between two floors to create visual disparity, and a spatial visual retrospective is made at the end of the extension of the stairs, which echoes the design of the turret in the ancient city wall and makes consumers feel more comfortable. The visual focus returns to the dazzling array of goods on the first floor.
In terms of materials, recycled old blue bricks, clay bricks, glass bricks, etc. are selected as the main materials, and the brick body designs with different characteristics are integrated. At the same time, deepen the design in the form of masonry to create a rich and interesting indoor retail space. In addition to paying attention to the functional needs of retail stores, the project also increases the exploration of the locality of urban culture where the stores are located. It is hoped that on the basis of the retail space, it can be extended into a place that can resonate with the city where people are located.
