Materia Suzhou

A short distance from Shanghai, in Suzhou, China, we designed the Italy Pavilion inside an innovative luxury mall: a space of over 38,000 square meters, overlooking the ancient city walls, hosting exhibition areas for 22 nations, including Italy. Our project is based on the profound dialogue existing between tradition and modernity, and at the same time on the experiential involvement of people in the retail space. To encourage visitors to explore the whole space and capture their attention, we created a succession of engaging environments through custom- made furniture and combinations of materials.

To accentuate immersion and enhance the displayed products, we chose meticulously designed lighting, masking the windows with baffles and curtains, creating light cones to highlight the products. Among the design pieces we selected, the large Moon lamp by Davide Groppi was strategically positioned to establish a fascinating dialogue between the two floors.

Key elements that embody this vision are undoubtedly the central staircase, which serves as both a scenic and functional element, and the preservation of historical features such as the large window adjacent to the entrance and the exposed bricks. These are harmoniously integrated with the custom furnishings we designed, which respect and enhance the building’s heritage. As for us, in this project we were guided by curiosity and the spirit of discovery, both for the building and the interiors, paying great attention to materials.