AIM Architecture has designed Zara Huaihai Road, a flagship store for the Spanish fashion brand in Shanghai, with an amphitheatre-like brick podium that connects the building with the street.

Located on Huaihai Road, a well-known commercial district in central Shanghai, the new flagship store took over an existing five-storey concrete building, which AIM Architecture aimed to transform into a space for discovery.

"Rather than imposing a new identity, the design embraces the building's existing concrete structure, proportions, and spatial logic, allowing the architecture itself to shape the experience," said AIM Architecture.

"The project reflects Zara's evolution towards more open, flexible, and immersive environments, where the journey is as meaningful as the destination," it added.

The studio opened up the facade on the ground level by creating a stepped brick podium that extends onto the street.

Passersby are encouraged to sit down and rest at the amphitheatre-like structure, which is planted with green shrubs and sheltered by the building.

A similar, smaller brick podium was created inside the store, near the entrance. This podium, which functions partially as stairs and seating and partially as product display, connects the visual language of the store interior with its exterior.

At the Zara Huaihai Road store, the fashion brand's collections are spread over the building's five floors, where they are presented in different interiors to suit the different styles.

Zara's TRF collection sits within a space that resembles a contemporary warehouse, while the main women's fashion collection is shown in an art gallery-like environment.

The menswear floor was divided into two spaces: an atelier celebrating craftsmanship and a contemporary Shanghai loft that was designed to have a more domestic feel.

AIM Architecture covered the fitting rooms in mirrors to create a more immersive feeling.

Throughout the store, exposed structural columns, polished concrete floors and a concrete cassette ceiling were used to create a raw, industrial atmosphere, while timber and linen add warmth and tactility.

Lightweight and adaptable furniture and display systems were introduced to allow for flexible seasonal display changes.

AIM Architecture kept the building's existing staircase, but redesigned it to have a more sculptural shape.

It paired the staircase's concrete steps with a black textured-steel railing, which was wrapped in serrated concrete at the lower end. A thin lighting tube hangs at the centre of the stairwell, illuminating the otherwise dark space.

"Zara Huaihai Road reflects a broader vision for the future of physical retail," said AIM Architecture.

"By embracing the existing architecture rather than replacing it, the project transforms a commercial building into a contemporary public interior rooted in the life of Shanghai, creating destinations where commerce, culture, and community converge."

Founded by Belgian and Dutch architects Wendy Saunders and Vincent de Graaf in 2005, AIM Architecture now has offices in Shanghai, Antwerp, Hong Kong and Chicago. It was awarded Interior Designer of the Year at Dezeen Awards China in 2023.

Previously in China, it has completed a resort in Chengdu featuring sweeping, tentacle-like canopies, as well as a community park repurposed from oil silos in Changzhou.

The photography is by Seth Powers.

Project credits:

Ground floor area: 3,500 square metres
Design principals: Wendy Saunders, Vincent de Graaf
Studio director: Sacha Silva
Project architects: Ewa Szajda, Ruiqi Zhou
Architectural/Interior team: Elaine Wang, Feiwei Ni, Fenna Regenboog, Gwenn Huriaux, Jerry Guo, Jiaxing Xiong, Junger Xia, Minwoo Ian Yang, Ruben Vanvlasselaer, Suheng Li, Wei Zheng, David Smedley
Visualisation: Jiao Yan
General contractor: Shanghai Choyoin Construction Group Co Ltd
Facade contractor: Caamaño Asia (KunShan) Furniture and Complements Co Ltd (glass), Shanghai Qiuyuan Hualin Construction Group Co Ltd
Landscape contractor: Shanghai Xinduo Floral Co Ltd
Furniture: Caamaño Asia (KunShan) Furniture and Complements Co Ltd
Lighting supplier: Fagerhult
Audiovisual supplier: TrisonAudio Asia (Kunshan) Co Ltd