Located on Guojin Street at the core of Changsha’s Wuyi Square commercial district, the project sits within an underground retail spine linking street-level entrances with subterranean transit hubs, marked by crisscrossing interior corridors. The HARMAY store occupies the B1 level, bridging the B2 double-height atrium with the north-south ground access routes at a major intersection of pedestrian circulation.
Confronted with the site’s deeply enclosed, continuous curved boundary and irregular perimeter, the design team established spatial permeability as the primary design strategy. The objective was to maintain clear sightlines across multiple vantage points and sustain visual gravity amidst heavy pedestrian traffic, while simultaneously housing the brand’s signature high-density warehouse storage.
Responding to the site's organic geometry, the spatial narrative unfolds through the conceptual lens of the "HARMAY Vessel." Facing the public atrium, a continuous curved glass frontage rises gracefully, completely opened up as a transparent interface that evokes an airborne cabin suspended mid-air. In contrast, the street-facing exterior facade integrates bespoke porthole framing vertically structured into three tiers of window apertures, crafting an architectural shell that balances industrial robustness with structural lightness. The team simultaneously calibrated the visual depth of the interior display fixtures, maintaining seamless visual continuity between the interior and exterior to draw public gazes into the cabin and guide visitors inward.
The floor plan adheres to a rigorous geometric discipline. Using the base arc of the glass facade as the origin, the design establishes a radial grid system that branches outward, dividing the entire floor plate into 56 equal modular units. Ceiling configurations, floor paving patterns, wall panels, and bespoke display fixtures are all anchored to this unified polar coordinate system. Extending from the peripheral display ring and curved shelving matrix to the rear perimeter walls, the radial order establishes a highly cohesive spatial rhythm, ensuring clear visual continuity and intuitive wayfinding beneath the dense retail merchandise.
The ceiling system incorporates folded and flat planes to define distinct functional zones, with linear dynamic LED ticker screens embedded at tectonic junctions to introduce a continuous informational layer into the futuristic cabin ambiance. The ergonomic logic and mechanical tactility of flight control consoles are translated into the detailing of the display furniture. Freestanding UFO-inspired display islands pair folded polygonal geometries with perforated structural frameworks, providing multi-angled product visibility while fostering tactile interaction.
By establishing a permeable retail interface, HARMAY Changsha Guojin Street Store redefines the spatial boundaries of subterranean commerce. Docked like a lightweight vessel at the street corner, the store absorbs passing sightlines and naturally draws foot traffic inward.
The design dissolves the conventional enclosed retail shell into a living, permeable interface that ebbs and flows with the daily pulse of the urban streetscape, offering a compelling new paradigm for public engagement and exploratory experiences in contemporary physical retail.
