15-2 WINDOW — Baicai Design

15-2 WINDOW

"I hope what Baicai does is like white light within the grayscale." — Baicai

Project Info:
Status: built, 2021
Area: 206 sqm
Client: BaiCai
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

Baicai Design Studio is located in the central bustling district of Shenyang, on a leafy street adjacent to the historic Six-Nation Consulate Area, MixC, and Luxun Academy of Fine Arts. The same street is home to several long-established legendary eateries. At night, night markets and wet markets spring up, and the fact that there are three Lao Siji noodle shops within walking distance fully illustrates the vibrant, down-to-earth atmosphere of the site. We believe this is where the city's emotions converge, and that is why we chose this location.

The project is located on the first floor of a residential building over twenty years old, with a brick-concrete structure. During the design process, in order to achieve a 25-square-meter fully glazed display facade, we made significant structural modifications to the exterior. We removed two existing structural columns, excavated the foundation down to the original soil layer, and reinstalled columns on both sides. Upper and lower beams were poured to form a stable grid structure, creating a clean facade while avoiding the risk of settlement caused by the weight of the large glass panels. The entrance and equipment partitions were pushed to the outside of the columns on the facade to be concealed, making the window the sole visual focal point.

Baicai's entire storefront is given over to the window. WINDOW SPACE is a boundless space for outputting ideas. It will host regular exhibitions, sharing fun things and interesting thoughts. White light breaking through the grayscale, an unadorned exterior—letting content become the facade.

At the end of an 8-meter-deep narrow corridor beside the WINDOW is a hidden door, which opens into Baicai's office space. The long corridor and hidden door allow the art space and the studio to exist independently, yet connect in a more intimate way.

The overall atmosphere of the space is Baicai's base palette: snow white and snow gray. The studio retains the original beams and columns; all other walls and cabinets are white, creating warmth and comfort through the display of content.

To ensure visual transparency and depth, bookshelves and glass are used to define zones and circulation, naturally delineating the workspace, activity area, pantry, and office.

We hope Baicai is a space with light—one that is content-rich and creative, yet also logical and free.