Eifini by SAKO Architects

“Eifini” is the name of boutique which sells women clothes and they runs about 180 shops in all China. This time we designed its branch shop in Chengdu.
First, in order to spotlight the clothes, we painted all the floor, wall, and ceiling in white, and let any other elements to lose their existence. Equipments, like the counter, are made of the same tiles with floor. It designed very simple, so as if a part of the floor rose up and directly became the counter. Then, lastly, we put a whole 250 meter-long hunger pipe into this space.The pipe goes around the shop freely, and make out a gently separated, but also successive space. The clothes hung in the pipe color the different spots in the shop, and softly flutter in the air. And also, the pipe is held by clear acrylic pole from all directions, and this makes the pipe free from gravity and float in this space.

In addition to displaying the clothes, our pipe has a lot of useful functions. For example, in the entrance, the pipe runs from side to side roundly and it makes out the entrance gate, and if you hang curtains instead of clothes, it will make out the fitting room.The pipe changes itself one after another, and it seems to be the trace of the conductor’s baton in an orchestra. The pipe emphasizes the presence of clothes, but at the same time, it insists the existence of itself, drawing a smooth trace. The concert goes on, while the clothes and the pipe take turns at playing the lead. Visit this place, just feel the melody of our orchestra.

We would like any woman to enjoy the melody changes in every all seasons.
Architects: SAKO Architects / Keiichiro SAKO, Ken-ichi KURIMOTO, Liang JU
Location: Chengdu, China
Lighting Design: Masahide Kakudate Lighting Architect & Associates,Inc.
Building area: 160 sqm
Budget: US $25,000
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Misae Hiromatsu