Text description provided by the architects. The Jinshang OCC restaurant in Nanjing is located next to the Drum Tower, adjacent to cultural landmarks such as Nanjing University and Southeast University, bearing rich historical memories and urban emotions. The design team aims to redefine a comprehensive dining space through this project, combining the cultural depth of the site with contemporary lifestyles, making it a new landmark for the gathering of Nanjing’s humanities.
The unique natural and urban landscape of the site provides multiple narrative possibilities for the design: nearby are lush tree canopies and mottled light and shadow, while in the distance, the faint outline of the Drum Tower’s red walls is visible. The challenge for the design team is how to respond to the energy of the site while blurring the boundaries between architecture, landscape, and interior. By “dissolving” the architectural form, the design introduces natural and cultural qualities into the site, blurring the boundaries of traditional dining spaces and creating a compound operational space that combines multiple experiences.
The overall space presents a sense of gradual spatial transition: from the open urban public space, to the enclosed courtyard, and then to the transparent indoor area, nested layer by layer, drawing on the traditional garden structure of “garden within a garden,” which not only inherits history but also infuses the experience of modern lifestyles.
The first floor adopts an open design, blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, allowing the landscape to naturally permeate in. The use of partition walls as an important design element is not only part of the architectural facade but also a component of the landscape, introducing the external natural environment into the interior through a progressive form, creating multiple overlays of light and space.
The spaces above the second floor are mainly independent private rooms. The design combines large windows with folding terracotta panels to create a visual effect similar to traditional lattice windows. The scenery outside the window changes with the seasons: green shade covers in summer, and the red walls are faintly visible in winter. Such a design continues the aesthetics of traditional spaces and also provides visitors with the opportunity to engage in dialogue with nature.
Jinshang OCC is not only a dining venue but also a compound cultural space. The open dining area and café on the first floor are full of fluidity, like an open market, closely connected to urban life. The private rooms on the second to fourth floors are more private, suitable for long-term social and entertainment activities. The design allows people to experience different situations and atmospheres on different floors through the progression and narrative of the space.
The Jinshang OCC restaurant not only presents the design of physical space but also represents a cultural inheritance and regeneration. The design uses nature as a medium to integrate the historical memories of the Drum Tower with modern lifestyles. Here, people can look back at the past while also experiencing the diversity of contemporary life.
