The 52nd China (Shanghai) International Furniture Expo was held from September 5th to 8th, 2023, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, Shanghai. CAMERICH collaborated with Semester Studio to present the Temporary Storage Garden, which showcases the brand’s newly upgraded North-South Campuses plan and provides a more comprehensive display of the implementation of the layout.

As always, CAMERICH is putting the principle of sustainability into practice. Every aspect of the pavilion, throughout the entire chain of design, manufacturing, recycling, and logistics, exemplifies the brand’s continuous commitment to environmental protection. By introducing CAMERICH’s North-South Campuses plan in Beijing and Jiaxing, the pavilion highlights the respect for nature and the people-centered approach behind the layout concept.

Temporary Storage Garden:

A Zero-Waste Pavilion

The CAMERICH pavilion in this exhibition focuses on achieving “zero waste” in every aspect. After the four-day exhibition, all materials will be recycled, thus earning it the fitting name of the “Temporary Storage Garden”.

All materials in the pavilion are labeled, indicating their place of origin and shipping destination, to help with the on-site handling, logistics arrangements and facilitate recycling and reuse.

All exhibition materials are kept in their original and authentic condition without being damaged. The curtains around the pavilion, which are made of CAMERICH sofa base fabric, are draped in a folded manner to avoid waste caused by cutting. The timbers around the pavilion are made from CAMERICH’s solid wood. They are stacked in an interlocking pattern and secured with binding straps to avoid any damage caused by using nails.

The exhibition stands for the architectural models are the wooden crates used for transportation. After the exhibition, the models will be packed and returned in the original wooden crates. The lighting fixtures will be returned to the workshop in Beijing Campus, while the linear light strips that create the ambient lighting will be used as supplementary lighting in Jiaxing factory.

After the exhibition, the trees, greenery, and gravel in the Garden will continue their journey to Jiaxing Campus and become part of the landscape there.

In the “Temporary Storage Garden”, visitors can enjoy a moment of rest in the busy and noisy expo as they can comfortably sit or perhaps even strike up a conversation with the passers-by in a serene atmosphere with soft lighting. In addition, they can read a special edition newspaper made from recycled paper and eco-friendly ink, which provides detailed information about the planning of CAMERICH’s North-South Campuses, as well as the social responsibility and sustainability concept it embodies.

CAMERICH Beijing/Jiaxing Campuses

In this exhibition, CAMERICH unveils its newly upgraded approach to the North-South Campuses: Beijing Campus is positioned as a comprehensive creative park and serves as an incubation center for future-oriented innovative designs, while Jiaxing Campus strives to become a manufacturing industrial park, creating a versatile and integrated production base for the future.

CAMERICH (Beijing) R&D Campus

CAMERICH (Jiaxing) Mega Factory (Rendering)

The exhibited items include historical photos of the Campuses, construction site pictures, architectural models and drawings. The diverse range of materials showcases the planning and design of Beijing and Jiaxing Campuses and outlines CAMERICH’s vision in sustainable design and high-quality manufacturing. The seven architectural models of CAMERICH’s North-South Campuses reflect the brand’s thinking and practices in park construction and its commitment to long-term values.

01

CAMERICH (Beijing) R&D Campus

The renovation and transformation of CAMERICH (Beijing) R&D Campus were planned and designed by ZAO/standardarchitecture. The overall planning of the campus centers around an open natural landscape. Existing buildings on the site have been reorganized and renovated to accommodate a diverse range of new functions, including office areas, laboratories, exhibition areas and living spaces. The renovated Beijing Campus will establish itself as a vibrant and creative design hub, demonstrating CAMERICH’s unique temperament and corporate culture through its fluid and open design philosophy.

02

Office Space

The office space of CAMERICH (Beijing) R&D Campus comprises work areas, meeting rooms, workshops, and an attached library/cafe named “CAMERICH Island”. The circular skylights on the roof of office area bring natural light into the interior, allowing employees to work in a comfortable and well-lit environment throughout the day.

In addition to providing natural light, the atrium also offers employees the opportunity to appreciate the changes of day and seasons while working in the office.

03

CAMERICH Haus and Home Away From Home

CAMERICH Haus, which is renovated under the direction of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, will be open to the public, providing visitors with a place to relax. For this project, Neri&Hu reflected on the traditional concept of residence and tried to inject new vitality and energy into the old factory space built in the 1980s. Neri&Hu preserved the old brick walls while reorganizing the interior space. The original red tiled sloped roof has been replaced with a more durable red concrete roof. Additionally, the facade windows and the reworking of ground level differences provide better navigation and narrative experience for the space as a public and open space.

04

Dormitory + Laundry

The living area of CAMERICH (Beijing) R&D Campus primarily consists of four rows of employee dormitories with different layouts, as well as a laundry room that serves as a shared space for communal and educational activities. The design took into consideration the contemporary living needs by transforming the original limited space into four types of units with varying bed capacities, catering to the long-term residence needs of employees and providing temporary accommodation for visitors. Each dormitory is designed with leisure and study areas, allowing for a variety of experiences beyond just accommodation.

05

Sports Hall and Restaurant

The sports hall and restaurant, designed by atelier tao+c, are housed in the same old factory building. After the renovation, the internal structure and the lightweight wooden structure at the top form a continuous sawtooth roof. North-facing skylights provide soft and even lighting and effectively control energy consumption.

06

Rain Rain Go Away

The water tower is an essential part of the CAMERICH (Jiaxing) Factory’s fire safety infrastructure. Designed by Semester Studio and required to be 30m tall to provide pressurized water for the sprinkler system, it is inevitably the tallest structure on campus and a visible landmark. The design team opted to place it at the northwestern corner of the campus, where it helps wayfinding by marking the campus’ main entrance. It also presents an alluring destination for those adventurous enough to climb the service stairs to the top.

07

CAMERICH (Jiaxing) Mega Factory

CAMERICH (Jiaxing) Mega Factory, covering an area of around 73,000 square meters, is surrounded by the water landscape of the southern Yangtze River Delta region. Here, CAMERICH and ZAO/standardarchitecture actively explored and designed the new furniture industrial park based on a shared vision for the future.

The concept of using a garden as the exhibition center is inspired by CAMERICH Beijing Campus, where a garden is situated in the central area. The employees’ work and lives revolve around the garden, as they pass it daily while shuttling between several buildings. It is also reminiscent of Jiaxing Factory, which is nestled in a vast expanse of nature and fields, where employees can gaze upon the banks of the canal through the factory’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

CAMERICH has always believed that upholding the people-centered design principle and embracing humanistic values could achieve its distinctive brand identity.