Prada at Prada Rong Zhai — SeaBeyond Ocean Exhibition (2025)

Prada Rong Zhai, a 1918 heritage mansion in Shanghai, hosted a free public exhibition on ocean conservation across several of its floors.

The venue

Prada Rong Zhai is a 1918 mansion on Shaanxi North Road in central Shanghai, restored and run as a cultural venue by Prada. Rooms are arranged over several floors around staircases and a central hall, retaining original panelling, parquet and a stained-glass skylight. Between exhibitions the house is used for art and design presentations rather than retail, so visitors move through domestic-scale rooms rather than open galleries.

How the space was used

The ground-floor banquet hall held the main 'Ocean and Climate Village' section, organised into five thematic areas on biodiversity, acidification and climate, combining infographics with touch devices. The third floor carried three interactive installations: a tide timeline, a tactile station and a VR room. The fourth floor showed photography by Enzo Barracco from Antarctic and Galapagos waters. Visitors moved upward through the house floor by floor.

Why it works here

The mansion's sequence of small, distinct rooms suits a narrative exhibition that unfolds in stages, letting each floor carry one layer of the subject. Original detailing and daylight through the skylight give the displays a domestic, historic setting that contrasts with the scientific and digital content, which draws visitors who come for the architecture as much as the topic.