The hé Retail Store in Shenzhen reframes the interior of a compact retail footprint as a spatial narrative shaped by movement, geometry, material tension, and light. Rather than organizing space around programmatic zones, the project constructs an experiential sequence in which perception, compression, and release guide occupation and interpretation.
hé Retail Store Technical Information
- Architects: LubanEra·Design
- Location: Nanyou, Shenzhen, China
- Gross Area: 160 m2 | 1,722 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years: 2024 – 2025
- Photographs: © Nie Xiaocong
Space is conceived as a continuous narrative where boundaries loosen and material, light, and movement together construct meaning.
– Hongbo Chen
Spatial Narrative Beyond Program
The interior departs from conventional retail planning by minimizing explicit functional demarcations. Circulation becomes the primary structuring device, guiding visitors through a sequence of spatial episodes rather than directing them between predefined zones. This approach positions retail activity as one layer within a broader spatial experience shaped by perception and movement.
Arrival is deliberately controlled through contrast. The entry compresses both width and sightlines, allowing only partial glimpses of the interior. This moment of spatial restraint heightens awareness of scale and direction, preparing the visitor for the abrupt expansion that follows. Once inside, the plan opens into a continuous, fluid field, where softened edges and diffused light amplify the sense of release.
Transitions within the store are marked not by thresholds or partitions, but by subtle shifts in geometry, ceiling articulation, and material emphasis. Turns in circulation suggest anticipation rather than destination, allowing the space to unfold gradually and reinforcing the idea of retail as an exploratory process rather than a transactional one.
Geometry as an Instrument of Boundary Dissolution
Curved geometries underpin the interior’s spatial organization. Elliptical and circular forms replace rectilinear zoning, dissolving rigid boundaries and encouraging movement along arcs rather than axes. This geometry softens visual continuity and allows multiple sightlines to coexist without a single dominant point.
An elliptical central island anchors the interior, serving as both a point of orientation and a spatial hinge between the entry and deeper retail areas. Beyond it, two large circular zones define primary areas of occupation. These zones remain visually permeable, their edges articulated through continuous volumes that suggest enclosure without fully containing space.
The resulting condition is one of calibrated tension. Volumes appear discrete yet remain intertwined through openings, overlaps, and shared curvature. This balance between separation and continuity generates a spatial rhythm in which enclosure never fully interrupts flow and openness never dissolves spatial definition.
Material Dialogues and Temporal Expression
Material strategy establishes a dialogue between immediacy and duration. Exposed concrete provides a direct reading of construction, retaining surface irregularities and reinforcing the structural reality of the shell. Against this rawness, liquid stone, derived from petrified wood, introduces a material register associated with geological time and natural transformation.
The liquid stone extends across walls and ceilings, blurring the distinction between horizontal and vertical surfaces. Its striated grain suggests sedimentary layers, allowing the interior to be read as a continuous material environment rather than a series of applied finishes. This continuity blurs the line between enclosure and structure, reinforcing the sense of spatial cohesion.
Handcrafted elements, including kiln-glazed bricks with varied chromatic outcomes, introduce a controlled degree of imperfection. These finishes resist visual uniformity, adding tactile depth and subtle variation that register at the scale of the body. Together, the materials frame time as both instantaneous, through concrete, and cumulative, through stone and craft.
Light, Suspension, and Vertical Composition
The ceiling becomes an active participant in spatial composition. Existing mechanical ducts, fixed in position and complex in form, are incorporated rather than concealed. Their presence initiates a secondary layer of suspended geometry, transforming infrastructural constraints into architectural drivers.
Rectilinear and curved elements extend downward from the ductwork, hovering in a staggered arrangement that mediates between ceiling and floor. This suspended composition gives the interior a vertical depth often absent in small retail spaces, allowing the eye to move upward and perceive space as layered rather than compressed.
Circular light membranes organize this vertical field. Adjustable in tone and intensity, they function as luminous planes rather than fixtures, distributing light evenly while reinforcing the project’s geometric logic. Illumination operates as a spatial material, establishing hierarchy, rhythm, and atmosphere without relying on focal highlights or decorative effects.
About LubanEra·Design
LubanEra·Design is an architecture and interior design studio based in Shenzhen, China. The practice approaches design as a humanistic narrative, prioritizing spatial experience over rigid functional zoning. Through geometry, light, and material contrast, the studio seeks to translate cultural concepts and brand identities into immersive environments, often exploring themes of boundary dissolution, symbiotic contradiction, and the dialogue between natural and constructed elements.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: hé (female fashion brand)
