In this FRAME China interview, Jianan Shan and Yan Zhang, co-founders of Say Architects, speak about their self-designed community-centric office, why the most subtle expressions elicit the strongest branded retail spaces, and how experience is driving the evolution of the retail sector.
How did you both get involved in the spatial design industry? What drove you to co-found Say Architects together?
YAN ZHANG: We both studied architecture and then worked as designers, gradually developing our understanding of space. After some time, when we were entrusted with several small projects, we wanted to take the opportunity to express our ideas and so we co-founded Say Architects together. ‘Say’ is a word that represents a means of expression, something we believe is fundamental to the design process; it is a joint expression between designers and clients.
Jianan Shan (left) and Yan Zhang (right).
We believe that design is an inherently interlinked discipline and engaging in a variety of projects is an expression of our different thinking processes. We have similar logic and different inspirations for each project from a wedding chapel to our self-designed porous studio in Hangzhou. At the same time, we also integrate different experiences and ideas, so that each project has professional thinking and incorporates unique insight.
Speaking of the community office, what was the main idea behind creating a porous space that could also be used by the community?
JIANAN SHAN: When we founded our studio, we hoped that we could have an outdoor office or space which is closer to nature, but we were always working in an office building or creative park. Last year, we came across the space on Zhijiang Road, a location that changes with each of the four seasons. We sought to create an open space, integrate leisure into the workspace and establish a coffee to open more direct communication with the area’s other residents. We named the office ‘New World’, and we hoped that the new beginning could accommodate both the diversity of work and community. From the beginning of the construction, the surrounding residents were very curious and look forward to the space we were going to create.
Say Architects’ office in Hangzhou fosters a connection between its employees and the community with a public café and exhibition space.
For a long time after the opening, the business of the coffee shop and the design studio was not very good, which was contrary to our expectations. We learned that it’s important to adapt to the community and vice versa. But now our coffee shop has become quite popular in the district with nearby residents often coming to drink coffee during nice weather. Following this success, we’ve been entrusted to upgrade the commercial atmosphere of the whole street, and gradually build the whole block into a community non-standard business.
Your work in the retail sector proposes that spaces shouldn’t be overly defined by explicit branding but instead by a much more subtle approach. How does this translate to strongly branded spaces?
YZ: We have always had in-depth communication with our clients about their brands and products in the early stages of each project. This is the process of understanding clients, but also their interpretation of the brands and products. After that, we share our design concept which doesn’t only express our clients’ ideas but considers their customers’ experience.
Combining the brand’s narrative with traditional cultural design techniques such as bamboo weaving, wickerwork, embroidery, ceramics and paper art, Say Architects’ design of the Shang Xia Shenzhen Bay In Boutique store integrates its identity within the local context.
When designing the retail space for O.C.E, we refined the concept of home. It’s not originally born in the brand but all its products are prepared to serve different groups and spaces in the home, so it’s easily understood by customers. We tailor-made the O.C.E. system for the store and realized the flexible and standardized product presentation logic through three different cabinets.
One of your closest retail collaborations through the last several years has been with the brand Nice Rice, with each store taking on a different site-specific identity. How has the collaboration with the brand evolved through time as well as the spatial language you’ve used for it?
JNS: So far, we have created more than ten stores for Nice Rice, including a flagship, pop-up and other experiential spaces as well as its brand image. The brand has historically used a logo-free strategy, but it doesn't mean that its spaces aren't expressive. When we designed its first store, we wrapped the core of the site with a giant grain of rice sculpture. The design provided an interesting shopping experience and helped consumers establish awareness of the brand.
Cover and above: Using colour and light, Say Architects created a spatial concept that reflects the coastal topography of the Nice Rice Aranya concept store.
For other Nice Rice stores in various cities, we drew from local culture, integrated this with the spirit of the brand and created site-specific spaces. These finally formed the brand thinking dimension of Nice Rice, which has also become its biggest ‘logo’.
Experience is one of the retail sector’s most important current spatial trends. Why?
YZ: We are in the era of the rapid development of AI and we are increasingly exposed to a variety of information, namely fragmented AI-generated content. In this context, the sense of reality becomes more and more precious. Experience is an integral piece of the puzzle that makes up this sense of reality, which is tied to our exposure to offline physical spaces. For example, in our new concept store for Nice Rice in Aranya, we used the reflection and refraction of light in the space to generate different emotional reactions. An experience that is intrinsically connected to the time and place.
