Limitation is the prerequisite and necessary condition for the existence of design, and it is also the fulcrum for designers to exert their imagination and creativity; Perhaps, it is the purpose and result of the existence of design, and it is the perfect and reasonable solution that the designer has bypassed many obstacles.
Limitations and Possibilities The design of the thematic exhibition space, as the title suggests, means that it faces many constraints and possibilities. The exhibition is co-organized by HI Design, a vertical in the field of commercial retail space design in China, and Shanghai Exhibition Co., Ltd. in Düsseldorf, Germany. We searched through our past design experience and vast field of vision, trying to dance with shackles again and find the right and reasonable design solutions to meet the constraints.
Entrance to the exhibition. Restriction restriction
The design of the exhibition space under the limitation of multiple factors.
designing within multifaceted constraints
The exhibition space is located in a 400-square-meter square plot of land at the Pudong New International Exhibition Center in Shanghai. The exhibition lasts only 3 days and the construction time is only 2 days. It was necessary to meet the needs of 20 different independent design agencies, and under the premise of limited budget, facilitate the operation of exhibition installation and dismantling, reduce the use and consumption of materials, and meet the sustainable design concept.
The subtitle of the exhibition is "Inspiration and Clues for Lightweight Construction of Commercial Space", which provides a key word for design ideas: lightweight. The concept of lightweighting first originated in motorsports in the automotive sector. Light, resulting in increased speed and nimble handling. The goal of lightweighting is to minimize the weight of the overall scheme under the given boundary conditions, while meeting certain life and reliability requirements. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to design lightweight construction, choose the right materials, and connect the joints cleverly. In addition to the accurate design and off-site machining of components that can be machined off-site, it is also necessary to consider the coordination and unification of cost, cost and brand temperament.
Exhibition exit. Probably probability
Integrate lightweight thinking into the design strategy.
infusing lightweight thinking into design strategy
In recent years, with the impact of online e-commerce, lightweight has become a trend in offline business scene design, and past projects in the future north have often provided modular, scalable, and movable design solutions for brand customers, realizing flexible and variable physical space in structure, materials, and processes. At the same time, the trend of strengthening online testing and social communication is also prominent among brick-and-mortar retail brands. Design solutions not only stay in the physical space that can be touched, but also play an important role in the untouchable soft qualities such as service experience and psychological emotion.
Exhibition PrefaceThe design strategy of this exhibition space also starts from this, hoping to highlight the theme of lightweight on the material level of the exhibition space and meet the display needs of different exhibitors for physical and first-class exhibits. In addition, on the non-material level, it also establishes an interactive relationship with visitors that is full of fun and triggers communication.
Conception. Concept creates mini neighborhoods with a sense of face-to-face real socialization.
creating an authentic face-to-face social experience in a mini block
Yoshinobu Ashihara, a famous contemporary Japanese architect, once proposed in his book "The Aesthetics of the Street".The streets are the place where the stories of the city take place, carrying the most authentic way of life of people, walking, chatting, gathering, exercising, trading, etc. "In an era when neighbors are becoming increasingly indifferent, and people are facing large and small screens every day, relying on typing and memes, face-to-face communication is particularly valuable. In the future, the north tries to create a neighborhood field, where people can see people and exhibitions, which can become a kind of landscape.
As a linear profile, scaffolding quickly builds the basic structural form of the block, and combines a large area of plates, ocean boards, sunlight boards, mesh cloth and other surface materials as the wall surface that separates and limits the area in the block.
Throughout the exhibition hall, the concept of an independent and open mini block was presented. There is both a sense of enclosure and transparency, attracting visitors from different directions to walk in.
Present. presentation/
Citywalk in the pavilion creates an editable scene aesthetic.
creating a citywalk within the exhibition hall: crafting an editable scene aesthetics
The mini block provides an experience sequence through the construction of visual levels, and the spatial layout, material texture, and color matching are all in the creation of the field, creating beautiful feelings and associations, emotions and memories for people.
The entrance welcomes the audience with an open attitude, and the main visual, keywords, and preface of the exhibition unfold in turn with the movement of footsteps. The materials used in the exhibition space are neatly presented on the walls, plates, pipes, and connectors, all of which are material dimensions that can be explored under the topic of lightweight commercial space.
At the center of the block is a plaza, defined by a circle of main visual banners at the top. Wooden shelves on the ground provide a staircase for resting and salon events. The table tennis table became another interactive hub of the square, and it was also a foldable whiteboard brought by the exhibitor SLT.
Radiating outward from the central square, surrounded by different booths scattered around. The line of sight of each booth can be extended to different positions in the street, and the accessible line of sight not only has a sense of territory, but also facilitates people's stay and activities, and privacy and openness are interspersed here.
The construction of the internal order follows the logic of circulation, and visitors can unconsciously walk through each booth in a hidden path. This is due to the semi-open design of the façade, and the window openings deliberately set aside to satisfy people's snooping psychology and allow each other's booths to penetrate each other. The exhibits are arranged in the most suitable position according to their characteristics, and fit perfectly with the circulation line.
It looks like a compact layout, but it is the best scale for walking. Greenery creates landscape sketches in the streets. The tubes and spotlights run along the horizontal and vertical lines of the scaffolding, enriching the level of virtual and real space. In the small but refined field, every constituent element of the street, the proportion and scale, the booth and the circulation, the audience and the exhibits can be self-coherent, creating and accommodating various contingencies and behaviors during the exhibition.
The construction of the street aesthetic is inseparable from the color and texture of all the exhibition props, and the metallic luster of the scaffolding and the translucent white interface form the first visual level of the space. The color texture of the original wood such as ocean board, honeycomb cardboard, wooden bracket, and straw brick forms the second visual subject. The low-saturation exhibition hall environment and the weakly contrasting background of the exhibition space highlight the presence of exhibits, and the overall color tone and the restrained use of materials create opportunities for the creation of the characteristics of the exhibition space.
At a time when commercialization is becoming increasingly strong, the design of exhibition spaces not only needs to focus on the construction of physical spaces, but also needs to give visitors humanistic care on an emotional and spiritual level。Combined with the macro industry environment and social public sentiment, to create a mini block that conforms to the theme of the exhibition, satisfies the interaction between exhibitors and audiences, and has diversified, modular and more social attributes and human touch, under the sustainable global issue, this form of exhibition space design concept will also become the trend of commercial exhibition in the future.
Floor plan of the exhibition.
Project Info –
Project name |Limitations and Possibilities - Inspiration and Clues for Lightweight Construction of Commercial Space Theme Exhibition.
Organizer |HI Design & Exhibition Düsseldorf (Shanghai).
Project Location |Shanghai Pudong New International Expo Center W5
Project Area |400 square meters.
Design time |October-November 2023.
Exhibition Design |North of the future.
Plane Vision | 297studio
Spatial Photography |Janssen.
Related Materials |Galvanized pipe scaffolding, marine boards, straw bricks, wooden brackets, turnover boxes, mesh cloth, photo cloth, honeycomb cardboard.
Special Planning|