located in the highest tower of tianjin financial center, in china, RAAMS architecture studio has designed the largest flagship store for automotive company NIO, known for designing and developing premium electric and autonomous vehicles. walking away from the traditional idea of a car showroom, the architects designed a space where vehicles are presented as a lifestyle, rather than just as objects.

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dubbed ‘the house of houses’ the showroom by RAAMS studio, draws inspiration from the ‘siheyuan’ traditional residential typology in chinese architecture, where all functions are organized around a central element. the store consists of 10 different programs within a continuous space, including a car display area, NIO life store, forum area, lounge zones, coffee shop, library, meeting rooms, and a kids’ playground.

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at the entrance, the foyer divides the store into two main sections: the gallery where one can discover the vehicles, and the club for NIO members. monumental terrazzo walls guide visitors through the whole store interior, while a succession of layered, concatenated spaces organizes the various functions and arranges the levels of privacy in hierarchy. the overall design follows principles that are usually applied when creating museums and art galleries. using this kind of layout, the RAAMS team has created a complete journey for the visitors.

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the materiality was carefully selected, in order to reflect the authenticity and quality of the NIO brand. a curved glass façade brings light in and merges the interior with the exterior, while white continuous terrazzo gives continuity, and douglas fir wood boards bring warmth and comfort within the store. in the gallery area, stainless steel walls evoke a ‘high-tech’ feeling which aligns with the company’s innovative spirit. furthermore, the use of mirror ceilings helps expand the gallery space visually, and at the same time, a 360 degrees view of the vehicles is produced. 

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one of the store’s iconic spatial elements is the ‘log ceiling’, a curved aluminum profile layered with wood, inspired by forest cabins. apart from this feature, the studio has also designed signature, custom-made furniture for the whole interior. a big round bench was created for the multifunctional area, where events and lectures are organized. in addition, a 10m communal wood table is designed for customers in the club area while custom grey rugs, side steel white lacquered tables, and ottomans are some of the other furniture pieces that RAAMS designed for the flagship store.

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project info:

 

name: NIO house tianjin flagship store
architecture office: RAAMS architecture studio
project architect: jovana petrovic
design principals: german roig garcia, natalia moreno ruiz
project designer: chen zhuoran
location: tianjin, china

 

 

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edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom