PROJECT REPORT: RETAIL DEVELOPMENTS 29
“Our approach to the design of these had to be the driver for the user experience throughout several zones and levels of the building,” Piber says. The practice’s extensive work on previous retail developments, says Piber, gave them a good understanding of the different types of experiences users may have. “‘Shopping for convenience’ is usually very fast and efficient, whereas ‘shopping for desire’ is about seduction and offering the customer the new and unexpected,” she explains. “In the Jiuguang Center all these experiences are curated to immerse people in a world of retail that, although large, is still human-centric.”
Programme
The complex consists of three voids located around a large central courtyard, each with its own identity and theme. The ‘urban catwalk’ has been designed utilising “dark and glossy materials to create a night-time atmosphere,” say the architects, whereas the ‘urban oasis’ uses a natural, warm colour scheme alongside brass to “reconnect with nature.” Finally, the ‘urban playground’ makes use of bright and colourful materials, to emulate the bustle of the city outside. The design of these voids evolved to help navigating the retail areas simpler for users. “They vertically link the shopping experience,” Piber says. “The three voids anchor the public circulation areas and
ADF APRIL 2022
create a vertical space across the different retail levels. They supply the circulation spaces with daylight and provide glimpses to the courtyard outside.”
The three voids are connected on every level by a “retail boulevard”, providing access to all the shops. “Along with the three voids, the retail boulevard forms an interior public space that creates a constant flow of people,” Piber explains. A pattern was integrated into the ceiling design throughout the interior elements, acting as a wayfinding element for users leading them to areas such as toilets, lifts and the escalators, which are located next to the voids. Combined with the boulevard this improves the “overall orientation and curated experience of the building”, says Piber.
The central courtyard at the heart of the complex was a key design element for a number of reasons. It was an important part of the brief that it act not only as a shopping destination but a public meeting place. “Shopping malls are the public spaces of Chinese cities,” says Ben van Berkel, founder and principal architect of UNStudio. “These retail complexes are not simply places to shop, they are all-in-one destinations for outings and social gatherings. They are also places where culture and commerce merge and where architecture can express this expansive condition.”
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“The three voids anchor the public circulation areas and create a vertical space across the different retail levels” Astrid Piber, UNStudio
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