A gift shop and events space lie inside this post office in Zhejiang, China, which design studio Yatofu has decked out in red, green and white.
Bund Post Office ? which is shortlisted in the small retail interior category of this year's Dezeen Awards ? is situated in Ningbo, a city in northeast Zhejiang.
When Yatofu was tasked with designing the interiors, it first examined the duties of post offices and the ways in which different communities use them.
The post office occupies a double-height space
"Initial research led to the realization that post offices are often seen as most necessary during times of celebration ? this means holidays, festivals, birthdays, and of course the culturally significant, Chinese New Year," said the studio, which is based in Helsinki. This encouraged Yatofu to make Bund Post Office more than a destination where Ningbo residents can simply send mail ? the building also includes a gift shop, as well as an events space that doubles up as a children's play area.
Pendant lights dangle above a fluted timber counter
Postal facilities are in a double-height room on the ground floor, which is illuminated by a series of spherical pendant lights suspended from the ceiling.
On one side of the room is a fluted timber service counter that backs onto a wall lined in the same light-hued wood.
A gift shop can be found on the building's first floor
The remaining walls feature in-built shelves and are painted a deep shade of red, while white and green ...