In the quiet village of Weipo, on the outskirts of Luoyang, once a capital of ancient Chinese dynasties, a new architectural gesture is subtly rewriting the relationship between tradition and modernity. Commissioned by eco-conscious lifestyle brand HOWHITE, the White Is Good Shop reinterprets the pop-up retail typology as both a community landmark and an architectural study in restraint.

The project is sited adjacent to an old marketplace surrounded by preserved courtyard houses and kiln dwellings now converted into housing museums. This revitalized cultural zone becomes the backdrop for a luminous, contemporary pavilion that both contrasts and converses with its historical context.

The store occupies a modest footprint of 50 square meters, but its design impact is amplified by its sensitivity to scale, materiality, and urban interface. The architects retained the original concrete structure, exposing its raw textures to establish an honest material dialogue with HOWHITE’s rigorously minimalist brand ethos. In stark contrast to the heavy, earthy tones of surrounding vernacular structures, the new envelope is conceived as a beacon - a pitched, polycarbonate-clad roof hovering lightly above a glazed box, glowing softly at night like a lantern.

The roof, an abstracted trapezoidal cone is pitched just below the adjacent historical rooftops, ensuring a respectful alignment with the traditional skyline. Composed of twin-wall polycarbonate and translucent fabric, it diffuses daylight into the interiors while maintaining a tactile sense of lightness and impermanence. The silhouette creates an architectural counterpoint to the rhythm of grey-tiled village roofs without asserting dominance.

The façade system, comprising three sides of full-height glass, erases the barrier between street and store. A wide bench platform beneath the extended eaves acts as a soft threshold, an invitation for gathering, pausing, and informal exchange. By doing so, the shop becomes not merely a retail point but an urban device that fosters public life.

Inside, whiteness dominates but is never monotonous. Instead of relying on a single surface treatment, the design team orchestrated a material symphony of subtle whites: painted metal, translucent plastics, matte concretes. This curated palette echoes the brand’s ethos of “responsible consumerism” - elevating the ordinary into the desirable through disciplined restraint.

At the heart of the store stands a modular aluminum cube - 2.85 meters per side - rotated at a 45-degree angle to choreograph spatial flow. Constructed from a 30x30mm aluminum frame system with plexiglass panels, this cube functions as both structural and display unit for HOWHITE’s rotating exhibitions. It includes operable windows and doors, embodying a “house within a house” concept that metaphorically encapsulates the brand’s narrative: beautiful objects shaping everyday life. More importantly, the modular system is entirely prefabricated, transportable, and reusable, reinforcing the project's environmental commitment.