Blue Bottle Zhang Yuan Cafe design by Neri&Hu

The most famous garden in Shanghai, Zhang Yuan, developed into one of the earliest public and commercial spaces in modern China, exemplifying and leading the emergence of a new Chinese urban lifestyle at the end of the 19th century. After a complete rehabilitation of Zhang Yuan's historic buildings, Blue Bottle commissioned Neri&Hu to create a retail space within one of the old Shikumen typology residences in 2022. In Shanghai, coffee initiates a dialogue between the city's rich history and its contemporary social landscape.

The most famous garden in Shanghai, Zhang Yuan, developed into one of the earliest public and commercial spaces in modern China, exemplifying and leading the emergence of a new Chinese urban lifestyle at the end of the 19th century. After a complete rehabilitation of Zhang Yuan's historic buildings, Blue Bottle commissioned Neri&Hu to create a retail space within one of the old Shikumen typology residences in 2022. In Shanghai, coffee initiates a dialogue between the city's rich history and its contemporary social landscape.

Amidst the architectural relics of Zhang Yuan, where the city’s collective memory resides, one can imagine this scene described by Chinese writer Mu Xin - people scattered about in the shadowy lanes of Shanghai at sunset like tiny crabs scurrying in and out of their sandy shelters. In this vast network of alleys, people carried on about their daily lives, but there was always time for leisure for the Shanghainese. Both locals and visitors can enjoy Neri&Hu's narrative journey by capturing the spirit of the local urban fabric.

The existing brick walls, doors, and windows of the original architectural façades and atriums are preserved according to historic preservation guidelines. This leaves them as a continuous backdrop for the addition of new design elements. A primitive shelter forms the visual and circulatory focal point of the project; it is where coffee is prepared and served, and represents a return to the origins of architecture. An elongated space connects the main street to the atrium along the old building's exterior wall. As a nod to the leisurely social moments of life in Shikumen, this alley-like building space includes benches and small tables against the windows and walls.

Neri&Hu studied the structure and its tectonic joinery meticulously to make it as light as possible, in contrast to the heavy palette of the existing architecture. Stainless steel is used for the roof structure while perforated and bent steel is used for the roof surface, reflecting the surroundings subtly and fuzzy. Neri&Hu also were inspired by the informal construction and simple attachments that people once used to extend their private spaces into the alley, so the existing structural columns are commandeered with metal rods and small platforms that serve as light rails, benches, side tables, and objects. This project incorporates repurposed traditional old furniture, whose traces of time impart a sense of warmth and familiarity, merging the old and the new, Blue Bottle and Shanghai.


Primitive Shelter

Blue Bottle Zhang Yuan Cafe

 

Site Address: W5-1A, 240 North Maoming Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, China

Completion: November 2022

Client: Blue Bottle Coffee

Project Type: Interior

Program: Cafe

Gross area: 175 sqm

 

Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu

Associate-in-charge: Qiucheng Li

Design team: Jiaxin Zhang, Xi Chen, Peizheng Zou, Shangyun Zhou, Greg Wu, Luna Hong

 

Interior design: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

FF&E design and procurement: Design Republic

 

General contractor: Blue Peak Image Producing Co., Ltd

 

Photos: Zhu Runzi





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