Shanghai

Hooked is a casual fish and chip seafood restaurant and bar in the newly renovated Found 158 complex in Shanghai. The interior is relaxed and playful with fresh white furniture and white washed timber plank finishes. Tropical wallpaper and aqua blue add fun pops of colour throughout the space. The space is accented with some marine-themed elements- boat cleats and rope  - with a boathouse row feature wall. The bar references the inside of a boat shed with exposed framing and a weatherboard clad bar front. Hooked is fast becoming the go-to place in Shanghai for a light and fresh free-flow brunch or a relaxing evening cocktail. The playfulness of the space entices a young and crisp crowd More

Central Studios provides a unique space for their clients to create photo and video productions right in the heart of one of downtown Shanghai’s most vibrant and evolving neighbourhoods.To cater to various clients’ needs they offer bespoke support in their large versatile spaces for fashion, media and advertising clients. After years of successful operation, Central Studios engaged hcreates to help refresh key elements of the space prior to their ten-year anniversary. The site was once an old factory and had a lot of unique rustic elements in the underlying structure which brings wonderful character to space. The focus of the brief was to enhance these aspects in the space but also increase the useability and functionality of... More

Nestled between a hairdresser and a hot pot restaurant on an otherwise typical Shanghai street, a large mural artwork has emerged. Spanning the full face of a site long time occupied by a convenience store. You could almost pass by, mistaking it for a boarded-up street art façade. Locally designed and installed on site, it is unique, bold and unexpected, on closer inspection, a small doorbell hidden in plain sight within the yellow, white and black paint strokes, indicates that more lies beyond. The client, a young veteran of the bar industry, had been quietly refining the concept for The Broken Dagger, patiently waiting for the day to realize his vision. A long incubation period meant the branding direction and theme were strong fr... More

Shanghai N.E.O Plaza is a thirty minute drive south-west from Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It is located in a rapidly developing residential suburb which is a moderately famous tourist destination thanks to its preserved Song dynasty historic town. The 24,500 square-meter outdoor mall comprises shopping, entertainment and dining facilities with social gathering spaces at its core. To ensure footfall to all retail areas, three public squares connect diagonally from the main corner entrance to a large plaza in the south-west. The stepped massing of the first two floors references the more intimate scale of the nearby ancient town. To achieve maximum commercial exposure, a bold ring-like object sits on the roofs of the streetscape... More

CLOU’s design approach for this 110,000 sqm and six-storey shopping mall is to create three distinct atrium zones, which assist navigation and attracts customers to explore and play with the interior themes. Each of the three atriums has one 'energy theme' - light, earth and water. Lighting features further accentuate these energy themes and highlight the bold and eye-catching atmosphere. Light cubes, dodecahedron wireframes, and ball-shaped ‘rain clouds’ made from different materials showcase the beauty of pure geometry and act as both lighting feature and art installation. Each shape corresponds with one of the three atrium themes and invites customers to look up and enjoy from many locations. More

The lesson proposes a journey around the figure, thought and works of Franco Purini, one of the most relevant Italian and international architects. Through the architect's direct testimony, the narration goes through the different stages of training, research and construction of the Purini-Thermes studio, established in Rome by the architects Franco Purini and Laura Thermes. The lesson starts with the “Roman” life portrait of the architect, where the workers' extraction of his family and the city's neighborhoods are fundamental elements. We arrive then at the moment in which the architect becomes fully aware of the profession through a fascinated gaze on the project of the Tuscolano neighborhood, designed by Mario De Renzi and... More

This new opera house is located on Fenyang and Huaihai Road. The building has a great public entrance at the corner of these two important streets of the historical French district. Rather than a massive unique building the opera is built as a sequence of pavilions, following the rhythm and the height of the existing architecture including, on Fenyang road the existing recent building of the conservatory. The color and texture of the pavilions is respecting a brick pattern aspect. The opera house belongs to the Conservatory of Shanghai. It provides to students and teachers a toll for practicing Opera in real condition. It is also conceived to be a high standard public hall for music, with a high level acoustical quality and international s... More

YEATION is an e-commerce site operated by Netease, a major Chinese tech industry. They are developing their own lifestyle brands. They started offline business last year, opened stores mainly in Hangzhou, and also opened in Shanghai. This store is positioned as the first platinum store in Japan. It will be a base for information transmission of brands. Therefore, it was required to create a store that emphasized the experience. The background of this brand is the “Chinese youth lifestyle”. In China, cashlessness is progressing, technology is beginning to merge with everyday life, and the boundaries of entertainment, life and work are disappearing. Young people use mobile tools. Meeting with customers by chat while playing... More

Sino Engineering acquired an old 1,000 sqm factory in an industrial area zone, Pudong Shanghai. The factory structure was sound but the interior was in need of a complete overhaul to create an inspiring space for clients and staff alike.The brief was to create a fresh and modern automotive design studio which would house twenty design staff. The office area needed ample break-out space and separate meeting areas for the design teams to collaborate fluidly.  There were many technical considerations for creating a functional workshop area and to showcase the output we included an exhibition turntable for design reveals.The overall design aesthetic is modern and sleek, curved reception desks and walls pay homage to automobile design. To b... More

The brief was to design a space which delivered an authentic experience, that showcased New Zealand.  The space needed to be functional and flexible to provide a home for New Zealand companies to connect with China and host clients and conduct day-to-day business.  The Center is divided into two wings, business (office, meeting rooms, hot desks) and event/greet (entrance, cafe, demonstration kitchen, event space). At the street entry, a mix of native NZ and Asian tree ferns is showcased on a living plant wall before heading up to the main floor. Coming out of the lift you are instantly welcomed into a New Zealand space where the naturals colours from timber and stone evoke New Zealand’s iconic landscapes. The custom chevron... More

Zespri has relaunched and expanded its China headquarters in Shanghai.  They took the opportunity to create a new aesthetic for the whole office incorporating Zespri's brand elements and core values. Zespri wanted a modern office that paid particular attention to creating a comfortable and healthy working environment for staff.  Additional considerations for air quality and temperature, open space/flow between work areas, natural light, greenery, acoustics and ergonomics to deliver a comfortable and functional working space.​The materials selected throughout reflect the New Zealand heritage of Zespri. Timber finishes and soft canopy greens bring warm and natural feel to the space. Zespri's fresh and bright brand colors a... More

Hannah Churchill of hcreates worked with the team at Cantina Agave to create a bright and playful refit of the popular Mexican cantina. The design uses pops of pink, peacock green and rustic timber to bring warmth and colour to this compact interior. A new open kitchen gives more sense of depth to the space and brings the action to the dining experience.  Hannah said "it was a great project to bring to life as the food and essence of Mexico have such a following around the world, So it was great to be able to bring it to China and do it in a slightly more designed and creative way" More