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Reef Barber Shop

Say Architects

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Bronze
grid facade raised by stone columns - Chen Hao
women’s salon area - Chen Hao
external view of the project - Chen Hao
grid facade raised by stone columns - Chen Hao

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Bar
6.12
6.49
6.62
5.18
6.1
Carolin Krebber
Carolin Krebber Founder at Büro agata/ Co-founder Format F/ allmannwappner
5.95
7.6
7.02
5
6.39
Jaime Velez
Jaime Velez Design Partner at Velez + Valencia Arquitectos
5.81
6.17
6.88
5
5.97
Philippe Paré
Philippe Paré Principal and Managing Director at Gensler
6.17
6.69
5.69
4.88
5.86
Andres Fredes
Andres Fredes Creative Director / Partner at ALLDSGN
5
6
5
5
5.25
Maria Messina
Maria Messina Creative Director and Design Architect at FAAB
6
6
7
5
6
Yen Kien Hang
Yen Kien Hang Founder / Design Writer / Author at OutOfThePackage
If this is in the BAR category, the...
6
7
7
5
6.25
Jason Su
Jason Su Design Director at HCD Impress
6.1
5.6
5.45
5
5.54
Firas Alsahin
Firas Alsahin Co-Founder and Design Director at 4SPACE Design
6
6
5
5
5.5
Elise Zoetmulder
Elise Zoetmulder Founder at Zoetmulder
Attention for details + fun and col...
6
7
8
6
6.75
Ayça Doğan
Ayça Doğan Head of Design at CBRE Netherlands
6.5
7
8
6
6.88
Maximilian Pecher
Maximilian Pecher Senior Designer and Creative Lead at NorthernLight
5.5
6
7
5
5.88
Evans Lee
Evans Lee Founder & Design Director at Evans Lee Designers
6
6
5.8
5
5.7
Lin Chen
Lin Chen Founding Partner at Topos Design
Sensitive to materials and built in...
7
7.5
7
6
6.88
Emma Holt
Emma Holt Associate Director at Ben Adams Architects
6.98
6.83
6.93
5
6.44
Kristen Becker
Kristen Becker Partner at Mutuus Studio
6
6
7
5
6
Toni Black
Toni Black Interior Director at Blacksheep
6.87
6.45
7.13
5
6.36
Client
Reef
Floor area
165 ㎡
Completion
2021
Social Media
Instagram
Accessories

Reef is a coffee, salon and barber store located on General Road in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou. Since the design concept was born, it has been put on the site and gradually grows, eventually organically entwined with the environment. In reality, reef is a rocky or calcareous coral accumulation, formed by the accumulation of coral worm skeletons over a long period of time, and is the result of an organic growth. 

Say wants Reef to reflect this organic growth as a barber collection space, rooted and growing in the original building, with the interior and exterior spaces flowing within and outside the reef, forming a strong permeable relationship. The venue is on the corner, with two main facades. Say started from the concept by setting up a stone column on the entrance side, formed by the interlocking of various stones, from which the whole Reef is generated. 

The stone column is used as the origin, and the whole space is set in a 300*300 grid system, starting from the façade, all the separations and elements in the space are positioned in the whole grid system. The massive grid facade is raised by 2.1 meters on stone columns, creating a striking contrast in volume, while the metal grid of the facade extends to the other side of the building facade, where there are no columns to support it, and the entire grid system seems to hover lightly on the outside of the building. 

The blue façade grid grows out from the column ends, and the steel structure within the space is labeled yellow, with a T-shaped steel structure running through the doorway and extending to the end of the interior. The red window frames are wrapped around the yellow steel beams as if they were creatures. Standing indoors, the view of the exterior through layers of glass is obscured by the translucent façade above, so that the view is naturally focused on the street and the landscape. 

The blue façade grid is connected by metal elements to the yellow structure and red metal separations. All three adhere to the potential modalities of where each should be in the intended grid. From an architectural theory point of view, reef cannot be clearly classified as an organic building, however, the creation of spaces that can be organically integrated into the site is the core of the reef design concept. 

Emerging from a point at the entrance, the space follows the logic of an underlying grid, bringing the guest a rich permeable spatial experience of the interior and exterior, and the organic atmosphere of reef gives rise to a social feeling that is rooted in the site. Moreover, guests often spend the afternoon in the entrance cafe after their haircut, talking with friends or the owner.