Chen Lin's WAT Green Urban Jungle: A Blend of Architecture and Urbanism

Revolutionizing Social Retail Spaces with Innovative Design and Technology

The inspiration behind the WAT Green Urban Jungle comes from the words of Bernard Tschumi, who believes that architecture is not just about space and form, but also about the events and actions that occur within that space. With this in mind, Chen Lin and his team used a minimalist spatial narrative to inject vitality into the small space, creating a green jungle that embodies the spirit of urbanism.

The WAT Green Urban Jungle stands out for its unique properties. It is a social retailing and bar space designed for the younger generation. The entire rectangular space is clad in green terrazzo tiles, with an elongated counter featuring a rotating belt of cocktail drinks taking center stage. A suspended electronic message board canopy follows the contours of the counter, while large windows on the street side allow floods of daylight to enter, creating a seating area with a counter and seven stools.

The project's realization involved innovative use of materials and technology. The terrazzo ceiling is a thin type of terrazzo, using an aluminum honeycomb board as the base, and hanging with a metal keel. The project's boundary creates a rectangular space of 8 meters long, 5 meters wide, 4 meters high, and 160 cubic meters in volume.

The design's interaction changes with the time of day. During the day, the space maintains a retail-like atmosphere, while at night, it transforms into an exciting bar environment. The material, color, and style of the soft outfit on the vision were chosen celadon terrazzo and snowflake metal plate. Lighting, music, and wine decoration are used to distinguish different business hours.

The project, located at 758 Julu Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, China, started in January 2021 and finished in July 2021. The design faced challenges, particularly in using terrazzo, a heavy material typically used on the ground, on both the ceiling and the wall. After many tests, a terrazzo was finally cut into three sheets of the same thickness and these laminas were attached to the entire space.

The WAT Green Urban Jungle was awarded Silver in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2022. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.