Le Baron is dead…long live GRND CTRL! For seven years, the satellite venue of the Paris original ruled the more quirky segment of Shanghai‘s bustling nightlife scene with a string of prerequisite cult DJs and in-crowd parties. But founders and night life veterans Cody Allen and Victor Aime are going bigger and better with a brand new venue. Set up as a next-level meeting place for in-the-know night crawlers, the 1,700 sqm. (18,299 sq.ft.) venue sees an interior design by Hangzhou-based design practice PIG Design blends a 1970s retro-chic aesthetic with modern elements, creating a fitting setting for immersive setting for nocturnal debaucheries. The entrance oozes an avant-garde ambiance, evoking mystery and adventure, and instantly transporting visitors to a surreal world of mysterious light and shadows. Wall decorations adopt a balanced composition, featuring the style of stage setting, and a sequence of symmetrical, curved lighting installations draw on the deep, long lane form of traditional Shikumen dwellings, featuring lines and rhythms guiding experiential circulations and extending inward.
GRND CNTRL is concepted as a theatre, featuring a lofty, nine-metre high main area with a spatial narrative and functional layout revolving around a lift-style DJ stage which provides a panoramic view to all details in the space. Although visually very present, the bar has been given a less prominent spot than at most other clubs, allowing the aforementioned stage to be a real focal point of the design. The visual drama is sophisticated, being composed of stone materials, mirror-like finishes, stainless steel, and leather. Mind you, the dominant black hue comes in various shades. Needless to say, the design includes an advanced sound and lighting systems. GRND CNTRL‘s main area presents a hip hop programme with a strong sense of artistry and technology, and as such, aiming to offer visitors an avant-garde, futuristic spatial experience. The small hall has a house and techno programme, and is full of immersive lighting and shadows, oozing a film-like, retro atmosphere. At the new club, party crowds can indulge in sets by DJs such as Boys Noize, Yaeji, Against All Logic, Pig & Dan, Park Hye Jin, and Caribou.
GRND CNTRL
Xintiandi Nan Li, Level 5 (Xintiandi)
200021 Shanghai
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
