YJY MAIKE CENTRE FLAGSHIP STORE by Tomoko Ikegai ikg inc.
Name of Company or Individual: Tomoko Ikegaiikg inc.
Country: Japan
Website: http://ikg.cc/
Project Name: YJY MAIKE CENTRE FLAGSHIP STORE
Project Completion Date: 10/15/2018
Project Completed City: Xi’an, Shanxi Province, China
Interior Division: Retail Shop
Property Overview
AddressFloor 1-2, Maike Centre, No. 12, Jinye Road, Gaoxin Qu, Xi’an, Shanxi Province, China 710077
Total floor area: 4,500 (1F/2F)
Completion : October 15, 2018
Designer: Tomoko Ikegai
Client: Maike Investment Holdings Group
Credit Information
Photographer: Nacasa & Partners Inc. TAKESHI NAKASA
Design cooperation
1. A Factory inc. / TAKATOSHI KUBOSHIMA https://www.a-factory.com/
2. Japan Power Media Co, Ltd. KEN KIM http://jpmnet.com/
Lighting
Sola Associates KAZUHIRO KAWAMURA http://www.sola-associates.co.jp/
Graphic Design
ujidesign: YUTAKA MAEDA http://www.ujidesign.com/
The city of Xi’an was once known as Chang’an the seat of several important dynasties in ancient China; today, it is home to the Xi’an Hi-tech Industries Development Zone, a leading center of technological development. This project involved the design of a bookstore and commercial complex occupying 4,500 m2 on the first and second floors of an elegant building in the Development Zone. The goal of the design was to create a place for encounters between people, cultures, and books from around the world by building on three remarkable features of the site: its location in an ancient city that boasts the extraordinary World Heritage Terracotta Army as well as the origin of the Silk Road; its luxurious surroundings, including a Grand Hyatt on the upper floors; and the elegant lines of the twin building.
The overall concept for the project was “Library & Gallery.” Libraries are spaces for learning and valuing independent time, while galleries serve as intellectual spaces for displaying culture. The design blends elements of both and also incorporates features of palace architecture in order to encourage visitors and the store to collaboratively exchange and develop creative ideas. The layout resembles a Japanese or Chinese palace in its human scale and arrangement of interlinked rooms, while also evoking the universal concept of a house through its expression of the intimate connections between people, books, and the space itself.
Books play an integral role in the design of the first floor, with a 10-meter-high bookshelf just inside the entryway viscerally conveying the store’s identity the instant visitors step inside. The area around the open spiral staircase functions as a courtyard, with a bright floor and mirrors on the ceiling to distinguish it from other areas. The void above the staircase is illuminated by lights, while the stage at its base features an inlaid stone map of China, offering a gorgeous space for events. The second floor does double duty as a hotel lounge, with a counter bar where office workers can socialize. On the 50-meter-long “Book Street,” a low ceiling, dark colors for the floor and ceiling, to create a subdued gallery-like atmosphere. The overall effect is a tasteful, classic environment that reflects China’s long and proud history, where visitors can relax, unwind, learn, think, enjoy life, and embark on a creative journey that transcends space and time. The distinctive thirteen artworks incorporated throughout the store is all original, commissioned to reflect themes appropriate to the location.
This bookstore filled with books, nooks to sit and learn, as well as integrated displays for cultural objects. It's a place of never-ending inspiration and became a cultural landmark; an average of visitors are 5000 people per day, especially 10000-20000 people per day on the weekends. The area around the open spiral staircase becomes very popular as a symbol of an SNS spot and published in the many web news about this spatial experience all over the world, and it brought a tremendous advertising effect.
