Uniqlo Shanghai- Located within the main shopping district of Shanghai, the Uniqlo flagship store’s backlit skin of perforated metal, dramatic circular track with mannequins encased in acrylic futuristic capsules, robotic lighting, steel gravity tubes and glass panels successfully accomplished BCJ‘s goal to create an iconic building for their client.
photography by © Nic Lehoux
To say this project was challenging would be an understatement. It wasn’t just the teams working in three different languages and three different countries, or the state of the existing building – a dirt floored vacant building, but these circumstances paired with a government edict that all construction had to be within 30cm (12 inches) of the existing facade and completed prior to the Shanghai Expo in three months or the client would risk losing their lease added a bit of pressure. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson coordinated with the buildings original designers, Shanghai based Jiang Architects & Engineers to create a memorable flagship store for Uniqlo.
photography by © Nic Lehoux
The client’s needs were to build their largest flagship store to introduce their brand and house their offices. The branding of the store required visibility of location with windowless space to display product however the government prevented exterior lighting or removal of the existing facade glass.
photography by © Nic Lehoux
A skin of perforated metal was used to transform and unify the building. A wall of product was constructed and set inboard of the existing glass by several feet to allow access for maintenance while creating a light-box within to backlight the perforated skin. Viewed from a distance, the patterning in the perforated skin creates the appearance of folded fabric, a subtle reference to the building’s use.
photography by © Nic Lehoux
A rotating series of mannequins inhabit the entry. Robotic lighting tracks patron activity and engages them in a dramatic experience. A glass shard cuts through the existing concrete floors, and is animated with mannequins flying vertically on theatrical rigging. This new atrium brings light to the center of the deep floor-plates and clearly demarks the vertical circulation while titillating and sparking patron curiosity.
photography by © Nic Lehoux
Project Info:
Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Project Location: Shanghai, China
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Nic Lehoux
Lighting Design: Candela
Project Area: 38751.0 sqm
Contractor Tanseisha: Co. Ltd.
Project Manager: Chris Evans, AIA
Consultant: PCS Structural Solutions
Principal For Design: Peter Bohlin, FAIA
Rotating And Flying Mannequin Consultant: ZFX
Principal In Charge: Robert Miller AIA, LEED AP
Local Architect Of Record: Jiang Architects & Engineers
Local Structural Engineer: Jiang Architects & Engineers
Facade Consultant: Axis Façade, Translator Turid Gronning
Owner: Fast Retailing, Inc. Ltd. (Parent Company of Uniqlo)
Project Team: Mark Adams Campie Ellis, AIA Nguyen Ha, Michael Hatcher, Nick Hons, Matt Wittman
Sophie Tremblay is a Montreal-based architectural editor and designer with a focus on sustainable urban development. A McGill University architecture graduate, she began her career in adaptive reuse, blending modern design with historical structures. As a Project Editor at Arch2O, she curates stories that connect traditional practice with forward-thinking design. Her writing highlights architecture's role in community engagement and social impact. Sophie has contributed to Canadian Architect and continues to collaborate with local studios on community-driven projects throughout Quebec, maintaining a hands-on approach that informs both her design sensibility and editorial perspective.