Architecture studio Linehouse has transformed an old railway station in Shanghai, China, into a food market by adding a series of translucent sloping screens to create a new facade.

The three-storey market, named Ink Ink Market, is located within a residential neighbourhood that was formerly occupied by the Tiantong’an Railway Station.

To update the building, Linehouse added a sloping facade made from a lightweight translucent plastic called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

The market sits within an old residential neighbourhood in Shanghai

This was designed in reference to Shanghai’s old laneway architecture, which often features sloped roofs with protruding chimney windows. The facade also has mesh screens punctuated by a series of balconies.

The sloping screens create shelter for the piazza at the entrance of the 1,790-square-metre market and shade its upper balconies.

Their translucent qualities, meanwhile, allow passersby to still get a view of the indoor market activities.

The sloping facade creates shelter for the entrance piazza

“The skin acts as a translucent second screen to diffuse the strong sunlight into the interior, while at night, the light from within radiates through the screen, creating a lively collage of activities and serving as a beacon for the neighbourhood,” Linehouse explained.

An atrium connects all three floors of the building, with stepped terraces set at different levels. Natural light illuminates the interiors through the glass ceiling, where a draped timber trellis hangs to filter direct sunlight.

Natural light illuminates the interiors through the open atrium at the centre of the building

“The interior of the market pays homage to the public halls of historic train stations and gives a nostalgic nod to old Shanghai through the use of dark walnut wood and playful mosaic paving patterns,” said Linehouse.

The ground floor was designed as an open market hall that can easily be adapted for rotational events and vendors. Smaller market kiosks populate the atrium, while larger permanent shops with street seating are located along the perimeter.

A central column with a custom-designed clock serves as a meeting point and nods to the iconic clocks often found in railway stations.

Linehouse designed a radial floor pattern made from tumbled cobblestone to blur the lines between the market floor and the street outside, while a black metal staircase lined with dark walnut wood leads visitors to explore between the floors.

A custom-designed clock pays homage to railway station clocks

Larger restaurants are located on the upper two floors. Here, visitors can also enjoy outdoor spaces on the balconies that sit under the sloping facade.

Ink Ink Market’s bathrooms feature a playful composition of Carrera marble mosaics and green-toned tiles, framed by metal trims.

To recreate the grandeur and nostalgia of old Shanghai meeting halls, Linehouse designed a round, carved marble sink and a custom chandelier overhead for the ground-floor bathroom, encircled by a colonnade of mirrors lined with vertical lights.

The ground floor bathroom features a round marble sink with a custom chandelier overhead

Established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling, Linehouse now has offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Auckland.

The studio has recently designed a few food markets in Asia, including one in Shanghai informed by Victorian greenhouses and one in Macao adapted from a historic art deco building.

The photography is by Wen Studio.

Project credits:

Client: Vanke
Design principal: Alex Mok
Design team: Cherngyu Chen, Yunbin Lou, Mae Szeto, Jingting Tang, Fei Wang, Jingru Tong, Wang Jue, Felix Saw

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