Weightless: Junya Ishigami Designs Shop in Shanghai

The Jins store is located among colourful retail spaces at the SWFC, which is the second-tallest building in the Chinese metropolis. Two large display windows draw customers’ attention. They also allow views of the sales area, which Ishigami conceived as a place of emptiness and tranquillity that should offer a relaxed shopping ambience.

Five jutting volumes characterize the interior of the shop, which measures 140 m². These join the rear wall of the space only at one end, making them seem to float in the room. Made of concrete, they create a fascinating contrast between massive materiality and graceful execution. A prestressed construction of steel beams and in-situ concrete enables projections up to 12 metres long and holds the volumes, each of which is 25 cm thick, at a height of 80 cm above the floor.

These five elements determine the entire Jins eyewear shop. Positioned at regular intervals, they divide the retail space transversely and span the spaces in between without separating them entirely. While the three longest volumes act as minimalist presentation surfaces and offer storage space for glasses, the two others are used as a working area and sales counter.

The rest of the Jins SWFC shop design is sleek and restrained. All the installations are in white and run directly under the ceiling. Light-coloured surfaces and targeted lighting steer visitors’ attention to the counter and the products offered by the eyewear label.