The Playhouse Store 

Text description provided by the architects. The Playhouse is a 3-storey complete renovation project located in the busy fashion district of Tokyo, Aoyama, Japan. The building accommodates a British fashion store on the ground and first floors, and a hall for the wedding and event planning company on the second floor. Our design team was challenged to envision a new post-coronavirus store spatial model by reconsidering the existing function of physical shops.​

One of the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic is the remarkable acceleration in digital transformation. This constant rapid movement points to a future in which the shopping experience will be vastly more popular through virtual stores. In response to this social situation, the team proposed reimagining the spatial function of the physical store from the traditional concept of a place to buy goods into a place to learn, discover and experience cultures related to product brands. If the purchase can be made virtually, then the ultimate purpose of the physical store should be to increase the interest of potential customers which will link them to product sales.

The project begins by considering the entire building as an alternative form of theater by designing transformable architectural elements that allow a variety of events to take place throughout the building. The entrance lobby is designed in the form of a flying tower with a moving curtain that creates a temporary stage for events such as talks and concerts, and can accommodate up to 50 people.

The shop area on the ground floor consists of multiple revolving walls, providing a flexible space to host different activities such as a pop-up market, fashion show or workshops.

Each wall is dedicated to a different brand that changes regularly every few months, creating a collection of small shops dotting the floor. The foyer is located in the center of the first floor and leads guests to the main hall on the second floor while creating a display space for the store's permanent brand products on its perimeter. The auditorium on the second floor is made up of various textiles allowing the space to fluctuate in size to host events of different sizes and contents.

The Playhouse challenged the traditional spatial model of shops by creating rooms for diverse culture and activities to coexist while a sales space rather than devoting an entire floor to displaying products. The project aims to explore one possible future commercial space for a post-coronavirus society, as virtual simulations of our lived lives become more entrenched.