NEXUS CHUNXI x Super Normal Design

Location:Shanghai ,China

Completion:2023.10

After several extraordinary years, interesting changes have emerged in the way people live. The experience of isolation has prompted busy urban residents to rediscover their "first 500 meters," as anthropologist Xiang Biao observed about the maladies of contemporary city life: when we overlook nearby living and strangers, we lose a sense of control over life.

On an individual level, people have started paying more attention to those around them and their immediate surroundings. In urban development, many forward-thinking developers are transforming into "urban service providers," independently recognizing residents' renewed focus on everyday life. This decentralization of residential awareness has led to innovative approaches to community building, moving beyond conventional "amenities" to reimagine living spaces.

The shift involves moving away from gated communities and rigid boundaries, encouraging people to reconnect with warm, everyday experiences. By reshaping the scale of life, these efforts help residents rediscover their "lost nearby," rebuild neighborly relationships, and foster the growth of community.

Super Normal's design philosophy has similarly evolved from a "material logic" to a "relational logic."

These "relational logics" have become guiding principles for design and spatial arrangements. Super Normal believes that the interactions between people, objects, and places generate "information," and the challenge of design lies in editing this information and creatively reorganizing it, thereby expanding the boundaries of design thinking. By engaging in early-stage planning and collaborating with various professionals, Super Normal redefines community commerce not as a physical space but as the lifestyle shared by its residents and operators. This vision ultimately gave birth to the unique form of Chunxi Collective.

Project Information

PART 1: Jiading New City - Chunxi Collective in "Ideal Land"

Jiading New City is a large-scale urban development project in Shanghai, co-created by Vanke and CSCEC. It is the first implementation of Vanke's Future Urban Ideal Unit Exploration Plan, named "Ideal Land" by the developers. Ideal Land envisions not only a future defined by technology but also one deeply rooted in human-centric values. The project aims to establish multi-dimensional, symbiotic connections across its 140,000-square-meter site. Guided by the core principles of "low-carbon, vitality, and intelligence," it is designed around 10-minute walkable units that form dynamic "super crossroads." These crossroads integrate residential, street-level spaces, offices, commercial zones, and other mixed-use facilities, presenting a model for transitioning the vibrant urban lifestyle of downtown Shanghai to a suburban TOD mega-development.

Chunxi Collective is the first manifestation of the super crossroads' community concept, embodying a unique crossover between a community and a marketplace, pioneering a new way to blend these two domains.

PART 2: Creating a Warm Community Atmosphere Through the Joyful Connection of Food

An innovative example of new city planning, Chunxi Collective chooses to present daily community life through the simplicity of flowers, tea, and meals. How can unfamiliar neighbors be encouraged to sit down and chat? How can a community exude warmth, and how can streets feel more inviting and human-centric? Chunxi Collective weaves the community and marketplace together with the concept of "the joyful connection of food." So, what is a marketplace? It's a fresh take on an old gathering place—where passionate people, interesting stories, and fresh goods come together. Inspired by the Chinese character "食" (shi, meaning "food"), the name resonates with multiple interpretations through its varying tones, symbolizing diverse meanings and possibilities.

PART 4: Replacing "Material" Logic with "Relational" Logic

Chunxi Ji represents a community commerce experiment where "relational" logic replaces "material" logic. Super Normal hopes that it will naturally grow within Jiading New City, becoming a gathering place where the community reconnects, forming bonds and rediscovering the warmth of everyday life.

This practice has also highlighted future challenges for designers. It's no longer just about creating objects but questioning the purpose of creation. Beyond making objects, are there alternative ways to solve problems? What is the essence of the problem? How do changes in societal and family structures impact cities? What is the true value of emotional connections? How does the social environment influence design? Is it essential to consider our relationship with nature?

With these seemingly trivial questions in mind, Super Normal turns its focus toward the everyday. It continues its design practice with a mindset of normalcy and common sense, seeking to see creatively and to use the power of design to create happiness.

PART 3: Ideal Interior Design for "The Ideal Place"

As part of the community plan for The Ideal Place, we envisioned the interior design of Chunxi Collective to fully embody the development’s core values: intelligence, sustainability, and vitality. Super Normal Design first focused on creating a layout that fosters integration and symbiosis. The first floor is defined as a "food market," merging dining and market scenes with seamless interaction between interior and exterior landscapes. This approach optimizes the flexibility and diversity of storefronts while expanding outdoor seating areas.

By incorporating a central kitchen and optimizing operational workflows in advance, the design expands the functional range of shops on the first and second floors. This allows for an open kitchen concept that is both visually engaging and encourages closer interaction between customers and shop owners.

To achieve this goal, Super Normal Design worked closely with Zhizheng Architecture to optimize the second floor's original shop layouts and the placement of various utility shafts. This approach minimizes the boundaries between different functions on the second floor, blending them into a food-focused community that leaves ample possibilities for future developments. The design emphasizes seamless integration by organizing spaces strategically and adopting a “less is more” philosophy.

At the counter of Gu Valley Noodles, Super Normal collected white porcelain shards from "Chaozhou Fengxi" and marble powder, pressing them into eco-friendly artificial stone. This material choice not only aligns with sustainability but also subtly connects the concept of noodles and the bar counter.

Using the same approach, in the ceramic display stands for JimJimShop, Super Normal employed mullite waste fragments for the central island design, symbolizing the connection between the display stand and the showcased ceramics. They also incorporated vintage furniture as part of the shop’s furnishing to add character and sustainability.

For the bakery's counter, a speckled beige natural stone surface was used to evoke the soft, textured feel of bread crust. These stone pieces are typically discarded as waste, yet they represent the most unique and characterful aspects of the material.

The second floor’s Sansho Hot Pot green wall reused equipment and plants originally deployed as greenery dividers between phases one and two of the project.

The key to responding to "vitality" lies in a space's ability to trigger and accommodate various activities. This requires Super Normal to employ thoughtful spatial planning and create flexible, open pathways. All display fixtures are designed for easy movement and assembly, enabling dynamic reuse. Simultaneously, the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) systems were planned to ensure the feasibility of space adaptability and reuse.

The interior design highlights a low-material-consumption approach.

For Chunxi Collective’s Zero Carbon Café, Super Normal collaborated with eco-conscious material specialists OOOBJECT to craft all coffee tabletops and bar counter finishes using various recycled materials, such as coffee grounds, apple pulp, lemon residue, and tomato waste.

Within Chunxi Collective, repurposed fresh flower waste was used to create floral panels, alongside old crates and sustainable materials. These were transformed into modular and aesthetically pleasing central display stands that are both flexible and functional.

Super Normal incorporated AI into two art installations for this project, intentionally placing them in ways that make their presence almost imperceptible. One of these is a mechanical meerkat at the entrance of Chunxi Ji. This installation envisions a distant future—perhaps a post-human era, or a time when humanity has left its home planet, allowing Earth's ecosystems to return to their natural state. The dozens of uniquely shaped carbon-silicon meerkats in the piece were all AI-generated.

The second AI artwork is hidden within a painted wall, featuring two portraits modeled after Chunxi Ji’s main operators, Kang and Beam. These portraits, crafted through AI, are strikingly lifelike and subtly humorous. By integrating AI in such discreet and thoughtful ways, Super Normal conveys its perspective and aspirations: while AI heralds the next wave of technological revolution, it might also seamlessly integrate into everyday life, fostering a new era of vitality.