© Olivier Hero Dressen
- Architects: Linehouse
- Location: Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- Area: 52.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Olivier Hero Dressen, Dirk Weiblen
From the architect. Baoism is a new food concept originated in Shanghai, making a modern version of the traditional Chinese street food guabao, served in a clamshell-like bun.
© Dirk Weiblen
Although the flavours are a modern interpretation, the age-old process of cooking in a traditional woven bamboo steamer is a prime focus of display in the kitchen. Linehouse took this traditional handicraft notion of weaving and applied it in a spatial way with a non-traditional material; perforated raw metal panels are woven between the structure that frame the dining area and the service area.
© Dirk Weiblen
The branding for Baoism stemmed from the concept of I Ching, an ancient divination text and the oldest of the Chinese classics. The text of I Ching is called Zhou yi. The basic unit of this is the hexagram, a figure composed of six horizontal lines, each line is either broken or unbroken.
© Dirk Weiblen
Linehouse used this concept of stacked and directional lines to create two structures that frame the dining and the kitchen / service area. Custom lights float in-between the structure at high level, creating a broken rhythm above.
Plan
A datum line of bronze poles defines the lower half of the structure, with raw steel above. These two materials make a playful composition of rough vs. refined. Wood leaners extend out from the structure for guests to dine at. The bar counter is composed of dead wood, with 450mm x 450mm wood sections stacked upon each other. A burnt logo is branded into the front elevation of the wood.
© Dirk Weiblen
The custom bar stool took reference from the petite wooden stools commonly seen on the street corners of Shanghai. A wooden handle extends out operating as a mechanism to move the stool and to hang one’s bag.
© Dirk Weiblen
Sig Nordal 