Location: Shenzhen, China
Size: 616 sqm
Date Completed: 2011
Architect: KOKAISTUDIOS
Photographer: Charlie Xia
Founded in 2000 by Italian architects Filippo Gabbiani and Andrea Destefanis in Venice, Kokaistudios is an award-winning multi-disciplinary architecture and interior design firm based in Shanghai since 2002. The firm has now 60 multi-cultural architects and designers working across the globe with projects in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Coming from different experiences and backgrounds, these professionals are tied together by their passion and desire to create innovative projects.
Kokaistudios has completed over 140 projects in the field of architecture, heritage renovation, and interior design. They have worked with some of the prestigious clientele in the hospitality and luxury industries along with China and Asia’s top developers. Their groundbreaking projects have received numerous awards including the MIPIM awards and two UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage awards for their landmark Bund 18 and Huau Hai Lu 796 project.
Mainly focused on developing cultural, corporate, commercial, hospitality & retail projects, the design firm has also worked extensively on urban regeneration projects involving the requalification of heritage locations. Kokaistudios provides a total design package of services where they develop projects that add positively to the built environment, social fabric, and design environment of the world.
Kokaistudios expertise includes: urban renewal where they aim to breathe new life into post-industrial cities by restoring its vibrancy and efficiency; holistic design where they provide seamless integration of their design skills ensuring that clients’ needs are met; contextual perspective – with the combined expertise in creating branded environments, they have been known for their collaborations with international brands that seek to develop local projects.
An example of this is the Miele House which is a German manufacturer’s showroom located in a heritage villa in Shanghai; heritage development which is one their greatest passion. They aim to modernize the historic fabric of a city by upgrading it to perform modern functions while still retaining its heritage; branded environments where they help brands to stand out with distinction; and public architecture where they create functional architecture in usable places – from educational institutions to cultural centers.