Winner: Interior project of the year 2023 and retail interior of the year 2023. FOG Architecture has designed the new To Summer flagship store in Beijing, China.

In this project, FOG Architecture opened up a 280-year-old courtyard house in Beijing and transformed it into the flagship store of the fragrance brand, To Summer (also known as Guanxia).

FOG Architecture handled the transition between old and new functions of the building, transforming the old courtyard used as a private residence into an open-to-the-public commercial space that connects the surrounding neighbourhoods.

As a result, the wooden roof trusses and beam-column structures were revealed and in the form of a column array, became the visual centre of gravity of the entire space and an important structural system that defines its outline.

"The client wanted to create an oriental courtyard in the centre of Beijing," told FOG. "Before the renovation, the courtyard house was a complete and closed spatial system based on old functions. To introduce a new structure, the entire courtyard house must be deconstructed into a series of loose sub-spaces through splitting and cleaning."

Judges comments: "This project showcases how sensitive and minimal intervention can inspire and preserve our built history, demonstrating the studio's skilful hand in sensitively transforming a traditional courtyard house into a new retail experience."

Studio: FOG Architecture
Project: To Summer Beijing Flagship Store
Credits: ToSummer