Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2024
Bluetown Wuxi Guixiangli Sales Center
by Zhijun Zhong
- A' Design Award 2024 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Herabenna
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 28,669
- Verification code 906AF34B8E · Verify this award
About Bluetown Wuxi Guixiangli Sales Center
Bluetown Wuxi Guixiangli is a sales center interior of 400 square meters in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, completed in December 2023. The design interprets Song dynasty aesthetics in a contemporary way. Wood is the primary material, with stone accents that create a natural and warm atmosphere. The space is divided into an entrance, corridors, a reception hall, a lobby and a bar area. Exposed beams and frames form the ceiling, where natural light and a lighting system add depth. Miniature garden scenes and wooden lattice grids recall local culture.
Zhijun Zhong's award-winning interior for the Bluetown Wuxi Guixiangli Sales Center represents a distinguished achievement within contemporary spatial design, demonstrating the designer's refined understanding of how architectural intervention can establish atmosphere, communicate brand identity, and create meaningful experiential sequences for visitors. The composition reveals masterful integration of natural materials, particularly the elaborate timber lattice system overhead that functions simultaneously as structural expression, light-modulating device, and symbolic canopy suggesting both protection and permeability. This sophisticated ceiling treatment draws upon vernacular timber construction traditions while reinterpreting them through contemporary precision and scale, creating dialogue between heritage craft sensibilities and modern engineering capabilities. The designer's chromatic restraint allows material authenticity to establish the primary visual character, with natural wood grain, polished stone, and quality textiles speaking through their inherent properties rather than applied decoration. The spatial organization demonstrates careful attention to the visitor journey, establishing arrival compression through the reflected intimacy of the seating arrangement before releasing attention toward the expansive landscape views beyond the transparent facade. The furniture selection reveals curatorial sensibility, with the terracotta sculptural chairs providing contemporary accent against the otherwise neutral palette while their organic forms offer contrast to the rectilinear architectural framework. Technical accomplishment is evident in the seamless integration of lighting systems within the timber structure, the precise joinery of the wooden elements, and the immaculate finish quality of all surfaces. The work invites contemplation of how commercial spaces might transcend transactional function to offer moments of genuine aesthetic experience, how architecture can simultaneously root visitors in material presence while opening perspectives toward broader horizons.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project is located in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, where the roots of Song dynasty aesthetics run deep for a millennium, ingrained in its culture. Through the passage of time, historical context has infused the city's essence, imbuing it with a spiritual depth. The design draws inspiration from the past to innovate for the present, interpreting the elegance of Song dynasty aesthetics and embracing a contemporary urban slow living lifestyle.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 400 square meters
- Tags
- Song dynasty aesthetics, frame structure, exposed structure, mortise and tenon structure, light and shadow order
- Production Technology
- The design incorporates contemporary aesthetics, applying Song dynasty aesthetics to the space. The main space draws inspiration from Song dynasty architectural aesthetics, dissecting traditional architecture to innovate a contemporary Chinese style. By intertwining and overlapping components, it showcases traditional architectural textures while embracing simplicity, reflecting the Song dynasty's minimalist philosophy.
The structure of the exhibition center is enclosed by curtain walls and steel frames, integrating traditional wood structures into the layout. The space is divided into entrance, corridors, reception hall, lobby, and bar areas, with a layout that builds up gradually, creating interconnected yet distinct contemporary social spaces. Wood is the primary material, complemented by stone accents, enhancing the space with a natural and warm atmosphere. - Design Challenge
- The "exposed structure" design is the highlight of the interior space in this project. In Song dynasty architecture, "exposed structure" refers to the ceiling's natural state. It involves leaving the interior structure completely exposed, beautifying the beams and columns themselves to create a unique order and logic. By downplaying heavy ornamentation, the design presents the architectural beauty through minimalist connection logic. The exposed beams and frames intersect and layer to create a dynamic rhythm and order. As sunlight penetrates through the ceiling, interacting with light and shadow, it enhances the depth and layering of the structure. With the assistance of a lighting system, it creates a three-dimensional and transparent spatial sensation, making the entire ceiling the focal point of the space, inviting exploration.
- Project Duration
- The project is located in the northwest intersection of Heng 2 Road and Zong 2 Road, Huishan District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. It was completed in December 2023.
- Operation Flow
- The entrance corridor serves as a transition space, designed for passage and experiencing the surroundings. The facade features large suspended blocks as partitions, with miniature scenes of Jiangnan gardens at the bottom, creating a sense of vitality amidst rocky landscapes and lush greenery. Wooden lattice grids are asymmetrically placed with concealed backlighting, softening the light and intertwining contemporary materials with cut facades to evoke an ethereal Eastern Zen atmosphere. The use of frame structures on one side breaks the physical boundaries of the building, allowing indoor and outdoor scenery to blend, evoking a sense of Zen tranquility. The choice of spiral "flower clusters" lighting fixtures within the frames draws inspiration from osmanthus petals, embedding a memory of the city's culture.
In the central hall area, contemporary design techniques separate the mortise and tenon structure from the building, incorporating the philosophy of "wuwei" to break traditional constraints and explore new possibilities in form, material, function, and concept. Embedded garden scenes with rough textures of sand and stones integrate Eastern Zen elements, while wood serves as the primary material base, complementing the stone and allowing natural light to filter through the ceiling, creating a serene and minimalist atmosphere. - Research
- A millennium ago, the Song dynasty provided the perfect model for understanding life: banquets, tea gatherings, hanging paintings—slowly and gracefully living life to its fullest. However, with the rapid pace of contemporary urbanization, we have forgotten the essence of life, losing touch with the time and space to truly experience life. In this project, the designers aim to incorporate elements of Song dynasty aesthetics into the space, blending them with contemporary aesthetic values. Through the charm of the Song dynasty, they seek to convey the concept of returning to a more refined and leisurely lifestyle, encouraging us to savor and enjoy the present moment.
- Inspiration
- The enduring artwork of the Song dynasty, such as "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and "Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden," vividly portray the refined world of that era. From paintings to architecture and poetry, the Song dynasty excelled in aesthetics and artistic appreciation. Described as a pinnacle in Chinese history, the elegance of the Song dynasty is enduring, with Wuxi's cultural heritage preserving its essence for over a millennium.
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