Tough Planet Coffee and Market, Huangpu District shop in China, Chinese retail property photos

Tough Planet Coffee and Market in Shanghai

24 August 2023

Design: ATAH Architecture Office

Location: Huangpu District, Shanghai, China

Photos © Zhi Xia

Tough Planet Coffee and Market by ATAH Architecture Office

The first store of Tough Planet Coffee and Market is located in Shanghai’s Hengfu Historic District, where the red rooftops of the old lanes stand out against the green cluster of the public space. Strolling under the shading of French parasol trees, pedestrians won’t miss the strong sense of Shanghai Culture with a mixture of international vigor and local spirit along the street.

The stores in this district represent a decentralized network of dozens of trendy brands, whose owners are familiar with each other and together they create the fashion code under the continuous French parasol trees. Tough Planet is more like a plug-in in an urban network, which has proven itself into a new way of operation: cross-selling, art exhibitions, flash parties, and the combination of urban activities, constantly stimulating the imagination of the public.

The main body of the building in which Tough Planet Space is located has a unique geometric form: an eleven-story iron-shape building built in 2004. The brand’s space is located at the most prominent end of its perspective relationship. With this strongly classic spirit of the site, the design focuses first on the preservation and continuation of these precious forms, and the combing of architectural elements to further reveal space and form.

At the same time, based on the brand identity of Tough Planet and its ambition to be the core
base of trendy events, the empty outdoor space is planned to become a popular gathering place
for branding events, creating urban topics and attracting young people to the site, despite the fact
that the site has a setback of nearly ten meters from the main road, which prevents the
commercial interface from being close to the main road.

The overall design of the Tough Planet Cafe on the first floor begins with the reshaping of the alignment with the hotel façade. A slightly sloping, gently curved canopy is injected from outside into the interior, covering the coffee-making area.

The seven-meter long coffee operation table is arranged parallel to South Shaanxi Road, allowing the production atmosphere and continuous aroma to be transmitted directly to the outside. At the same time, all seats are fixed furniture, and the original closed brick walls have been transformed into continuous glass sliding doors. When the sunlight pours into the interior, the mix of various geometric forms is concentrated into vivid light and shadow, which is projected in all directions over time.

The Tough Planet Market on the second level takes full advantage of the geometric character of
the iron shaped space, developing a sliding track of movable furniture and a ceiling profile.
Looking back at both the wide and narrow ends of the space, one can experience this sharp or
soothing visual relationship respectively.

After dusk, the custom linear lighting design located at different elevations of the building also quickly replaces the retreat of natural light, enriching the nighttime undertones of South Shaanxi Road with color.

The completion of the design represents the new mission cycle of the whole space. We hope that
this space, as a growing urban plug-in, will inspire users’ imagination at different times and
become the core venue for trendy collaborations, art exhibitions and flash mob parties in the city.

Tough Planet Coffee and Market, Shanghai, China – Building Information

Project Name: City Plugin | Tough Planet Coffee And First Retail Store
Architecture Firm: ATAH Architecture Office
Website: www.atah.com
Contact email: office@atah.com
Firm Location: 103# South Xiangyang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Completion Year: 2022
Gross Built Area: 200 sqm
Project location: Lane 233, South Shaanxi Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Lead Architects: Lilas Dandan Wang
Lead Architects email: dwang@atah.com
Photo credits: Zhi Xia
Some photos are provided by Tough Planet
Design Team: Ying Cheng, Xijia Zhang, Yuchen Cai（Intern）
Clients: Tough Planet ®
Consultants: Seanhung lighting design

Photography: Zhi Xia

Tough Planet Coffee and Market, Shanghai, China design images / information received 240823 from ATAH Architecture Office

Location: Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, eastern Asia

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