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The Folded Arcade, Shanghai

Lukstudio

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Designer
Lukstudio
Client
U Concept Gallery
Floor area
260.00 ㎡
Completion
2018

Flanked by an atrium and a double-loaded corridor, the original all-glazed elongated lot has an inherent passage quality. In order to create a destination, Lukstudio introduces a trail of white walls with arched openings throughout the site, defining inward and outward spaces. Following one’s movement along the corridor, the storefront opens and closes alternatively. The fold seemingly extends the public corridor into the gallery space, inviting the passers-by to explore within. The simple form not only creates a rhythmical storefront, a spatial sequence in the store, but also provides ample vertical display surfaces and subtly-separated zones for flexibility.
While the arches guide views and movements fluidly in the open gallery, a wooden volume organizes all the other required programs and frees up the overall space. Walking in the gallery through the two entrances, one easily finds the café counter tucked under a wooden mezzanine. The white arches lead to an open classroom platform surrounded by the raised display aisles. During the weekend children’s drawing class, parents, friends or strangers alike would stand along the wooden balustrade of the elevated zone and observe the learning process from a close distance. The display aisles feature up to 20 different artists, each with a video introduction and a collection for sale. Climbing the wooden steps, one can continue to browse through the paintings in a more intimate attic while enjoy the view of the gallery below.