Architects: SpaceStation
Area: 1100 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Weiqi Jin
Construction Company: Shanghai Jadeshine Decoration Engineering Co. ,Ltd
Team: Zheng Wang, Fangchao Wang, Hui Xu, Saisai Jin, Jingjing Wang
Electromechanical Design: Tianxiong Yan
Water Supply and Drainage Engineering: Sha Zhang
HVAC Engineering: Sha Zhang
City: Suzhou
Country: China
Cotton Park Vitality Island Store, designed by SpaceStation, is a multifunctional community space in a singular, homogeneous, and abstract environment that combines a coffee shop, clothing retail, and a parent-child activity area. The design eschews traditional zoning for an adaptive space model using structural units made from tensile steel cables and translucent polycarbonate wave plates. These elements create a light, flexible structure that contrasts with the existing rough concrete, allowing the space to evolve organically and seamlessly integrate its various functions. This fluid spatial experience encourages exploration and interaction, focusing on elements such as scale, weight, boundary, enclosure, and mobility. The result is a community-focused store that prioritizes spatial experience and evolves with its users’ needs, making fine adjustments to layer functional areas effectively within the abstract space model.
The design centers on a light curve unit, constructed using tensile steel cables that are very thin and delicate. Translucent polycarbonate wave plates are suspended from this structural system, and the combination of these flexible materials causes the structure to vibrate slightly when touched, reminiscent of insect wings. This system also supports components like seats and hanging rods, which can transform into furniture scaled to human dimensions.
These units can be replicated and adjusted to different radii, accommodating the varying spatial needs of the site. The final form resembles an organism growing from the site itself, distinct from the rough concrete structure of the original building. This contrast between light and heavy, new and old, allows visitors to appreciate the history of the site.
This structural unit is consistently applied across the restaurant, clothing sales area, and parent-child activity area, emphasizing the uniformity of different functions. It creates a seamless transition between these spaces, ultimately delivering a spatial experience of discovery through movement.
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Project Location
Address: Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
