HAYDON SHANGHAI is a multi-brand cosmetics store. As approaching the project, the design team extracted distinctive Shanghai-style elements, and interpreted them through modern methods. 

Innovation:
The creative combination of diverse elements, including green leather edged by wooden lines, wooden spiral staircase and trays, reflective brass that glitters under the illuminated stretch ceiling, and mosaic tile floorings, generate a retro atmosphere that echoes old exotic buildings in Shanghai. Meanwhile, modern materials are also incorporated into the space. The contrast of different material textures produces a unique visual identity for the store.

The giant round hollow space in the atrium is the most noticeable feature of the site. Inspired by it, Various Associates took "Circular space station" as the formal design concept. The atrium is integrated with circular structures and radial lines extracted from space stations in classical sci-fi films.

Creativity:
Due to its historical significance, the Bund Central is a protected heritage building. Its facade and structures are not allowed to be converted or opened, so customers have to pass through the building’s entrance and a public area before reaching the store. The store entrance is accessed through passing between two existing stainless steel columns beside it. The store's design perfectly harmonizes with the building's existing public area, with the brand’s black logo floating on the storefront. The circular ceiling structures reveal a sense of technology, and generate a mysterious atmosphere like the black hole in the universe. 

Functionality:
The circulation route on 1F surrounds the central atrium in a loop, and is linked by mirrored stainless steel stands with gradually increasing heights. The progressive layering enhances products display. The fixed rhombic mirrors above the stands, along with mirrors adjustable to certain angles on either ends, provide a convenient experience for customers to try on cosmetics.

The movable cabinets and circular ceiling structures in the store echo moving aircrafts and their orbits respectively. The tall silver round-edged cabinets on 2F are filled with a variety of cosmetics, facing the central point along radial lines. With wheels at the bottom, those cabinets are movable at any time. In addition, the hidden plugs can easily connect with flat sockets on the floor, to satisfy the cabinets’ lighting demands. 

Sustainability:
The designers selected materials referring to the texture of Aerospace material MLI. With a large area of silver foils setting the overall spatial tone, the pure, natural material textures create fantastic light changes and glittering effects through reflection and refraction. Through effective yet restraining design intervention as well as cost control, the design realized a more sustainable light environment and spatial aesthetics.