MVRDV draws from Beijing’s heritage for Urban Revivo flagship
Fashion retailer Urban Revivo opens its flagship store in Beijing’s Sanlitun district, designed by MVRDV. Occupying a prominent site along Sanlitun West Street between the commercial area’s South and North Villages, the 4,120-square-meter store seeks to position the expanding Chinese brand within the city’s competitive luxury retail landscape, drawing from Beijing’s architectural heritage, including traditional roof tiles, moon gates, grey brick hutongs, and contemporary retail design. ‘The challenge of this project was to create a space that feels grounded in its surroundings while also reflecting the global aspirations of Urban Revivo,’ says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. ‘So we used local references, like Beijing’s roof tiles, but combined them with modern techniques to create spaces that evolve with the visitor’s experience, from the colour-changing facade to the smallest design details inside.’
Suspended aluminum tiles and tubular elements form the facade and reinterpret the rhythm of Beijing’s traditional roofscape. Finished in Urban Revivo’s signature blue with a dichroic coating that shifts between blue and purple depending on the viewing angle, the storefront changes throughout the day as light conditions evolve. In several locations, the suspended elements swell outward into wave-like three-dimensional forms, creating depth through shadow, reflection, and subtle variations in color.
all images by Wen Studio, unless stated otherwise
Moon gates and grey brick shape the retail experience
The team at MVRDV punctuates the interior with seven circular openings, borrowing the form of traditional Chinese moon gates while doubling as display windows. The largest portal marks the entrance and leads visitors into an interior defined by grey brick surfaces that reference the narrow hutong neighborhoods historically associated with Beijing.
As visitors move upward through the four-level store, circular openings evolve into arches on the first level, rounded rectangles on the second, and inverted curves on the upper floor, progressively introducing more contemporary geometries. Material palettes also change between floors: reflective finishes and bright blue furnishings characterize the first floor, and darker finishes define the second, while velvet upholstery and cobalt blue accents create a quieter atmosphere within the private shopping spaces above.
Six Bold Rooms create distinct retail environments
Distributed throughout the building are six thematic display environments that MVRDV calls the Bold Rooms, spaces that introduce distinct material environments tailored to different collections. Upholstered walls define the Soft Room, recycled textile blocks shape the Playful Room, mirrored surfaces create the Urban Room, timber display boxes organize the Daring Room, and a curtain-lined Unexpected Room can be reconfigured for changing collections or installations by local artists. Two Avant-Garde Rooms occupy the atriums of the building, using glass display cases to showcase featured products.
MVRDV designed the store down to its smallest details, from the custom signage and furniture to the display systems and clothing racks. The interior translates Urban Revivo’s identity into a cohesive spatial experience. In Beijing, familiar architectural references root the flagship in its local context while reflecting the brand’s ambitions as it continues to expand internationally.
