LFX-DELUXE TREASURE LOUNGE

Gold - a precious metallic element that can be rarely found in stone.

The design concept focuses on the use of materials, and the environment created by the rough texture contrasting against the exquisiteness of the gold ornaments further emphasizes the timeless elegance of the brand and its long history of art and craftsmanship.
Gold is found underground, and so the overall design concept is to create an environment where gold exists. The display cases seem to “grow out” from the stone ground, and the more exclusive display areas are “wrapped” in layers and excavated from stone, reflecting the characteristics of precious gems and metals.

Thinking of the whole building as a goldmine, the concept of the stone running through each floor of the entire space, from bottom to top, metaphorically resonates the process of discovering and making the most noble piece of art and treasure.
This stone is not “lifeless” either. It morphs and grows according to the function and layout of each floor. The stone welcomes the public as a special display area on the ground floor and becomes a semi-private dining area on the top floor.

The glazing area on the facade is large enough to let the natural light come through, creating a contrasting lighter space and a darker space on one floor. Therefore, a circular enclosed room is created in the design to further highlight the inner and outer spaces.
In the layout of the external space, the display podiums are placed more freely along the window, and the long display podiums are placed along the wall radially. An inverted podium faces the main entrance and guides customers to two sides, before entering the internal space.
The internal space houses more valuable gold pieces, with pendant spotlights as the only light to create a museum atmosphere. The ground plane is made of marble, which has different effects depending on the ambient brightness. At the same time, display podiums are also made of the same material, perfectly blending with the ground to maintain the integrity and continuity of functional and spatial design. The partition between the dark and light space is made of a quarry-like casted copper pieces, stacked up through levels, to create an envelope which consistently recalls the mining of gold and the craftsmanship of precious jewel pieces.

Similar spatial strategies are used to create different qualities, while experiencing the path of discovering the precious gems, the visitors will also witness the emergence of the treasures geologically from the unexcavated land.
The pure and unique momentum, swirls up across the space and brings the audience to the never-found land of LaoFengXiang Treasure and hopes to awaken the pursuit of the traditional craftsmanship.

Location: 190 Nanjing West Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Client: Lao Feng Xiang
Construction Area: 4267.62m2
Building Height: 30.20m
Status: Built

Programs:
Ground Floor: Retail, Experience Center
2nd Floor: Experience Center and Exhibition
3rd Floor: Experience Center, Exhibition and Café
4th Floor: Multifunctional, Exhibition, Runway, Press Conference and Auction
5th Floor: Office
6th Floor: Restaurant and Lounge
Rooftop: Garden Terrace

Architect: llLab.
Project Partners: Hanxiao Liu, Luis Ricardo
Project Lead: Henry D‘Ath (-2021), Chao Zuo (2022-Completion)
Project Team:
Lexian Hu, Huijing Yang, Yihui Zhao, Lingling Liu, Matt Eshleman, Chao Zuo, Han Xue, Yujun Yan, Fei Chen, Lingkong Yin, Ziyu Wei
Photographer: Arch-Exist Photography