Longplay by Neri&Hu: A Vinyl Listening Bar Through Two Singapore Shophouses
A place to experience records together
In Singapore's Kampong Glam neighbourhood, Longplay brings the social experience of listening to records into two historic shophouses. Neri&Hu designed the bar and lounge for an owner whose collection of vinyl records was intended to be shared with guests. The architectural challenge was to connect two narrow buildings standing back-to-back while making their unusual proportions an advantage rather than an obstacle.
Longplay is positioned between Haji Lane and Arab Street, two different faces of a lively urban district. This dual frontage allows the interior to operate as a link through the block. Instead of treating the buildings as two separate venues joined only by service circulation, the architects established one continuous spatial idea from entrance to entrance.
A cut through the shophouses
The signature intervention is a straight, visually emphatic passage that travels across the two existing buildings. Its stainless-steel surfaces reflect and redistribute light, heightening the sensation of perspective. The metal passage is particularly striking against the darker materials of the lounge, giving visitors a vivid sense of movement through a narrow plan.
The passage is not merely a corridor; it shapes the way people understand the building and provides an architectural connection to the streets outside. Glazed doors at the ends frame the urban environment, allowing glimpses into the bar from the city and back out from the bar to the neighbourhood.
A dark, intimate counterpart
Beside the bright cut, the lounge uses black metal, dark timber, bronze and mesh to create a more intimate mood. These materials are associated with durability and the mechanical qualities of traditional audio equipment, but they also have a warmth that suits a place where visitors settle in to listen, talk and share drinks.
The balance between light and dark gives Longplay its architectural identity. Reflected daylight and the sharply drawn stainless-steel passage introduce energy, while the darker seating areas offer a quieter setting for the vinyl collection and for conversations that can extend through the evening.
Records become an architectural display
The record collection is presented in custom shelving that also incorporates small seating areas, desks and lighting. By integrating these different functions, Neri&Hu makes the music itself an essential part of the environment rather than a collection of objects stored behind the bar. Visitors encounter the covers and spines of LPs as part of the room's material texture.
A bronze horizontal element extends through the lounge and supports accessories associated with the bar. Its continuous line draws together shelving and seating, bringing order to an interior that otherwise celebrates the irregularity of two connected shophouses.
Furniture and lighting designed together
The practice also designed the furniture and lighting for Longplay. Their details draw on the physical experience of collecting and handling classic records without translating audio equipment into literal themed decoration. Furniture is therefore part of the larger spatial composition, supporting intimate gatherings and a more focused appreciation of the music.
The architectural concept reflects the familiar rhythm of listening to an album: moving into the space, choosing a place, allowing attention to settle and experiencing a sequence over time. This interpretation gives the relatively small interior an identity that extends beyond its decorative materials.
A small work of urban hospitality
Longplay's distinctive quality is the way the project brings a public urban route into an intimate room. Its plan recognises the potential of two back-to-back historic structures, while its furnishings make the owner's record collection accessible to a wider community of listeners.
By concentrating on perspective, reflection and finely integrated furniture, Neri&Hu turns 110 square metres into an architectural experience of connection. The project shows how a bar can be closely tied to its street setting without sacrificing the qualities of privacy and intimacy that make people want to stay.
Project information and photography
Project: Longplay. Address: 4 Haji Lane and 33 Arab Street, Kampong Glam, Singapore 189187. Design of interiors, furniture and lighting: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office. Area: 110 m². Completed March 2015. The six project photographs are drawn directly from the studio's official portfolio; individual photographer identity and permission to reproduce remain to be verified.
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