Header: LIGHT STRING STUDIO
SANJ DESIGN is the studio responsible for renovating the Xiamen Shophouse Commune in China and transforming it into a multifunctional space that combines a design studio with a community cafe. The objective was to preserve the building’s original architectural features while integrating new functional spaces, allowing visitors to experience the building’s original form and the shophouse’s historical character.
The final design exposes key elements of the original structure, such as concrete columns, stone walls, and the staircase framework, which creates an aged, personality-full, textured aesthetic. Once inside, one is met by red brick walls and rough granite stone surfaces, materials commonly seen in traditional Fujian architecture.
The historical elements left untouched throughout the building connect the visitor with the structure’s past, sharing the best of past craftsmanship with the present. However, the most interesting detail about this project is how the traditional was mixed with the industrial, as exposed metal and concrete blended with the original textures and created a space that was both touched by history and the future.
The combined “studio + cafe” was set up as this open space where designers and locals can actually come together, bringing the whole vibe of the building to a new level as the traditional mixes with the modern on a more human level.
The cafe area, which provides a gathering spot where local residents and studio users can meet and share stories, stems from SANJ DESIGN’s broader goal of contributing to Xiamen’s urban renewal by encouraging cultural exchange and community engagement. Through conversations, memories and narratives from the old town are collected, promoting the area and ensuring that the city has a future to look forward to.
The project was recently recognized by the prestigious BLT Built Design Awards, a platform that strives to share design with the world, winning the coveted Interior Design – Workplace/Office prize.
- Company/Firm: SANJ DESIGN STUDIO
- Lead Designer: Jianhuang Chen
- Design Team: Ng Sear Nee, Scott Chen
- Construction Company: Big-J Construction
