2100 Club, the world's first blockchain bar, is located in the center of the vernacular area of Xixi Wetland, Hangzhou. The bar is initiated by Chen Weixing , founder of Funcity Captial and Kuadi (Chinese Uber), and participated by many well-known entrepreneurs and cornerstone investors in the Blockchain industry. 2100 Club is a social platform that shares and exchanges the cutting edge blockchain technologies, researches and investments. At the same time, it is committed to create a gathering place for talents to share ideas about the latest Internet technology, industry integration and entrepreneurship.

The slogan of 2100Club shares the idea ‘to own, to live to live until 2100’ to all the new economic drivers and innovators. It has been further developed as the basis design concept of interior space which interpreting its intellectual spirit instead of creating a theme bar. 

"To live" is to be in Nature

To live is a natural power, and it is also people's yearning of nature. It is also the reason that the site has been located in the heart of Xixi Wetland. Its unique site location with preservation code of the West Lake World Heritage, becomes a big challenge during the design and construction. At the beginning of the renovation, the designer conducted a detailed analysis of the old buildings and their surrounding environment, and concluded that the core of the design is to apply contemporary design techniques to the natural environment and ancient buildings.  To find out the connection between old and new,  people and nature by considering the relationship between the past and future. 

The design merges and contrasts the "new" and the "old", and uses typical design techniques to re-deconstruct the traditional architecture. In order to unify the overall atmosphere of the surrounding environment, a large number of buildings have restored the original appearance of the building, retaining and utilizing the relationship between building blocks and the existing roof structure. After the selective removal of the original wall, a brand-new space that is full of visual tension has been created.

The sculptural ‘black box’ at the entrance of the bar, connected to the interior and the exterior. It is not only a directional sculpture but also conveys the design idea which is combing and contrasting old and new, past time and present days. The outdoor bar area connected to the entrance is open to every guest. The extended bar counter from the interior to the exterior attenuates the boundaries in between the indoor and outdoor space. Continuously passing through the indoor space and the outdoor space without a so-called door makes people to chill in an extremely natural environment. 

Looking out through the window, the 2100 Club is blessed with natural conditions that give it an independent landscape courtyard on each side of the building. In order to balance the relationship between the old building and the surroundings, the designer tries to open the reasonable proportion of opening windows and the curtain walls whilst keeping the original facade of the building. It is hoped that the space can be reached from the inside outward to the outside landscape visually in order to make the sight more open and bring nature to people.

"To Think" is to Communicate

Innovation comes from speculation, dialogue and exchange among the peers. The bar lounge area is designed to create a space for guests to communicate in such a way.

The bar lounge area is a dynamic space. The modern interior decoration highly contrasts with the antique buildings. The digitally designed brass three-dimensional grid structure runs through the room and connects the various spaces of the bar together. The extended bar, the curvilinear suspended ceiling, and the starry light create different visual sensations and guide people to explore each corner one by one. The bar area abandons the use of TV and projection equipment commonly found in ordinary bars in order to minimize disruption and create a space that people can think and communicate.

The design of ceiling in KTV room is inspired by the digital matrix and is a symbol of the virtual future. The different modes of light allows the music to be physically presented. The flow of music can be visually captured, activating the overall space and increasing the multi-sensory communication.

Ingeniously, the design of 2100Club deliberately reduced selection of the typical furniture and finishes that used in a theme bar. Only in the transition point of the space was equipped with the furniture and finishes that related to the blockchain. The transition also explained the story of blockchain development. The FF&E selection and interior space complement each other. The history of blockchain development is like a living soul colliding with space, touching the nerves of enthusiasts and sparking the spark of thought.

"To Own" is to Abandon

"To own" is the result of survival and thinking. It is a process of constantly abandonment. The true meaning of ownership and possession is not an exaggerated glory and wealth, but a choice of internalization. It is an intimacy and pristine relaxation after the rejection of old things and redundancy. 

The hallway is surrounded by black stainless steel and the hidden light strips spaced from the ground to the top surface brighten the space. The strong contrast between black and light creates a virtual futuristic sense, stretching the narrow hallway horizontally and creating inward guidelines. The staircase that leads people to the second, which is made of a copper-colored stainless steel facade and a warm wood-colored ladder is just right to warm up the space. Wooden stairs under warm light have begun to wrap people in warm and natural surroundings. 

A luxury and impetuous atmosphere does not generate a true sense of possession. Therefore, the private rooms on the second floor abandons a large number of decorations in the traditional winery space commonly seen in the Chinese social ritual. Instead, the designer create the space more like a home to make people feel comfortable. 

The overall space on the second floor is relatively more private, and introduce the natural light into the space create a more intimate and warm atmosphere. In order to guarantee the privacy, the designer maximizes the opening of the windows on the two sides of the sloping roof. When sunlight is poured into the room, the greenery outside of the window was fully collected. There are balconies on both sides of the restaurant that placed some chairs for people to talk or meditation. In the Chinese cultural philosophy, this notion of abandonment becomes a high realm of "possession".

Upon the respect of the building's original condition and surrounding context, the design introduces the customer into a new space through playing with contemporary design methods, exquisite materials and the spatial effect of the illusion. With its resistance to luxuriance and desires, the design tries to provides its guests with a completely new sensory experience.

Project name: 2100 Club

Location: Hangzhou, China

Size: 400 sqm

Interior design: LYCS Architecture

Project Team: RUAN Hao, HE Yulou, JI Han, FAN Xiaoxiao, PENG Shijie

Participants: Chen Zhilin, NI Mohan, ZHANG Yicheng

Project Period: Design+Construction 2017-2018, Completion 2018

Images: WU Qingshan