889GLO Art Space in Shanghai reuses industrial materials, blending art, commerce, and community

A cultural hub transforming industrial materials into fluid, sustainable spaces that provoke reflection on consumption.

889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum

889GLO Art Space is a creative platform designed to encourage community art exchanges, and foster diverse social interactions. Spread across nearly 1000 square meters, the concept of the space was inspired by massive resource consumption statistics in the country, especially of resources like iron ore, petroleum, cement, coal and water. 

Library Space | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
Library Space | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum

The design framed as ‘Landscape of Consumption’ highlights the hidden structures of consumer society that sustain modern life but remain invisible. 

889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum

Envisioned as a hybrid cultural space combining library, lifestyle showcase, and art platform, 889GLO’s design preserves the building’s historical layers while creating fluid new connections. The removal of previous tenants’ partitions opened panoramic city views along the southern and western facades, while the slightly elevated corridor linking former small rooms was intentionally preserved. Materials from construction and logistics are repurposed into architecture: floor plates become tables, concrete formwork pallets turn into furniture, containers and baskets become bases, ventilation grilles are lights, truck tarps form curtains, and fireproof membranes coat walls in regulatory orange. This approach highlights how technical systems unconsciously shape our built environment.

View from theatre-towards gallery | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
View from theatre-towards gallery | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum

Architecturally, the project preserves historic traces, exposed concrete, paint layers, and corridors, while opening facades for panoramic views. Spaces flow in sequence: café, gallery, work areas, lecture arena, and a monumental library, with boundaries intentionally blurred for fluidity and permeability.

Theatre space | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
Theatre space | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum

SpActrum’s approach creates “hyperlinks” between social issues and design practice, beginning with value-based material selection and embracing ambiguity between materials and their new uses. Rather than solving problems, the space acts as an architectural provocation, sparking curiosity about consumption, material life, and our connection to the built world.

Industrial fireproof curtains | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
Industrial fireproof curtains | 889GLO Art Space - SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
Project Video
Project Images
Project Details
Project Name: 889GLO Art Space
Location: 4th Floor,889 Changshou Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai, China
Client: 889GLO
Area: 930㎡
Completion Date: 2025.04
Interior Design: SpActrum
Lead Designer: YanPan 
Design Team Members: YueZhang, ZhenLi
Construction Drawing &Supervision: Shanghai Citi-Raise Design Institute
Construction Drawing & Supervision Team Members: Silin Li, Chenjiao Yu, Meng Wang
Interior Stylist: Linda Wang
Photography: 889GLO Art Space – SpActrum | Image credit: SFAP, SpActrum
Videography: ANCHAO, SpActrum
Other Image Copyrights: SpActrum
Video: https://youtu.be/pMw36PwpXh0

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