The Satori Harbor
Library for Vip.com
Chinese e-commerce company Vipshop has included in its headquarters a library turned into a sanctuary that embodies the spirit of contemplation. Wutopia Lab designed a Satori Harbor represents an abstract harbor city where employees can wander through literature and experience satori; a state of transcendental being in the practice of Taoism, as the morning light shining across the entire earth.
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The Satori Harbor by Sha Li
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Library by Sha Li
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Sha Li The Satori Harbor
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Sha Li Library
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The Satori Harbor Library Press Releases
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The Satori Harbor Library Media Articles
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Unique Properties
The 19th floor is a city within the city. The most important place is the gallery, a re-interpretation of the European art saloon. The gallery walls are covered with painting collected across world placed in a non-hierarchical fashion. At the end of the haowu corridor is a circular window, capturing a miniature corner of the city. Yu Ting seeks to create an obscure experience of space and time through the meandering experience through light and darkness.
Tags
Vipshop, Headquarter, Museum, The thirteen-hongs in Canton, Library, Tunnel, Port city, Haowu Port, Haowu Corridor
Production Technology
The whole space is basically covered with stucco, we used it on the wall and the floor, except for the curved steps which we chose a beige terrazzo to differentiate it from the floor below. The ceiling is painted with white. The three circular openings on the left are windows to the rooms behind. The rosette window is a page taken out of the history of Guangzhou, they were a big hit in the 18th century. With stucco and terrazzo, the space can have more possibilities to hold more activities.
Design Challenge
Structure, fire partition. This is a new building, but the library has a larger load than the original, the load requirements have been increased. The owner was persistent in introducing the elevation of the thirteen rows into the design. Finally we printed the elevation of the thirteen rows on the roller blinds, when needed the roller blinds slowly fall and the elevation of the thirteen rows will appear. It's hard to do regular site visits due to the pandemic.
Project Duration
Started in September 2019; Completed in October 2020; Location: 18-19F, South Tower of Vipshop Headquarters Building, Zone A, Pazhou Internet Innovation Cluster, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Operation Flow
The boat is constructed with steel framing and coated with stucco, and the white screens are made of technical fabric and we printed facades of the old buildings near the Guangzhou harbor on them. The boat is a homage to the history of Guangzhou, back when the city was a harbor to host cultural and commercial exchanges between China and the western world, which is what VIP is about, a connecting point between customers and all the good valued merchandising from all around the world. A boat is also a symbol taken out of Taoism, to fearlessly ride the waves of life.
Research
The owners repeatedly emphasized that Vipshop originated in Guangzhou's old 13 hongs, which was the only port during the closed time, open to the outside world at the time. In a way, Vipshop inherited the spirit of the old 13 hongs, they brought the good things from abroad back to China. Chinese cities and ports are separate and there is a distance between them. After a long discussion, we printed facades of the old buildings near the Guangzhou harbor on them.
Inspiration
November 2020, Wutopia Lab completes the Satori Harbor, a culturally symbolic library situated in VIPshop's new headquarters. Yu Ting, the Founder & Chief Architect of Wutopia Lab, sees the library materializing the complex mechanism of the world-an abstract harbor city where the readers can wander through books and experience their moments of enlightenment and deliverance. Satori Harbor symbolizes a moral place for that of practice of life.
Image Credits
CreatAR Images
Project Overview
The Satori Harbor Library has been a Silver winner in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design award category in the year 2021 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Silver Recognition
Sha Li was recognized with the coveted Silver A' Design Award in 2022, a testament to excellence of their work The Satori Harbor Library.
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Wutopia Lab Unveils Satori Harbor: A Cultural Library in Vipshop's Headquarters
November 2020, Wutopia Lab completes the Satori Harbor, a culturally symbolic library situated in VIPshop's new headquarters. The library materializes the complex mechanism of the world, symbolizing a moral place for the practice of life.
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