BOBO FRUITS

“BOBO Fruits” is an everyday fruit shop located on Daxianglu Street in Nanjing’s Chaotiangong neighborhood, one of the most down-to earth, hustle and bustle areas in the city. Nestled on the ground floor of an old residential building, the previous fruit shop had separate shopfronts and an outdated look.  Thus both the neighborhood and the shop owner wish to renovate the facade to achieve a brand new impressive look, however within a low budget.

Observation: Fruit Crates

Plastic crates can be found anywhere in- and outside the fruit shop, which are the “add-ons” when the shop owner purchases the fruits. Small or big, alone or piled, fruit crates are not only functioning as containers for fruits, but also as “furniture” of the shop space. They actively play roles in the daily routine of the shop, but not in the most elegant way with the scattered size or dismatching colors.

Thoughts:  Alternative Material

Apart from containing fruits, can the crates be transformed into a bigger spatial container to accommodate the entire shop?
Is there potential to use or recycle those common and down-to-earth plastic crates as an alternative facade material, and meanwhile give the shop and neighborhood a surprising look?

Construction: Fruit Crates as Facade Material

To respond to the shop name “vibrant”, and give the facade a rich tone, a combination of easily available crate colors are selected: dark green, green, yellow and white. A common 600mm*400mm module is applied with edges folded and bottom plate facing front, which are ensembled with a simple steel structure. The deeper crates underneath function as existing AC-unit covers as well as seating bench.

The rich texture of the fruit crates brings a surprising visual experience to the street which demonstrates the power and beauty of those everyday materials.

Logo Design: Module from Fruit Crates

Logo font inspired from an ensemble of modular crates enhances the shop’s unique identity. Taking its Pinyin “bobo” as the English name with “o” being replaced by an orange symbol, it further indicates the vibrancy of the shop.

As night falls, the white logo stands out and lights up Daxianglu street.

Embedded in the bustling neighborhood, the large fruit crate complied out of small ones welcome guests from all directions, with an unexpected daily surprise.

Status

Built

1st Prize Winner_ 2023-2024 Nanjing Chaotiangong Shopfront Renovation Design-Build Competition_Daxianglu Site

Team

Shiqing Liu, Dilina Nulali