Chengdu

What does Li Bai, lyrical poet from the Tang Dynasty, architectural brutalism, and a modern-day cosmetics store in a shopping mall have in common? Allow us to introduce the newest HARMAY store, in the heart of Chengdu, where journey and discovery meet the future of shopping.  Dirk Weiblen Dirk Weiblen Dirk Weiblen Li Bai, famed poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in the poem “The Hard Road to Shu”, the stairs to heaven are easier to climb than the road to Sichuan. With Chinese e-tailer HARMAY’s fourth brick and mortar location in Chengdu, Sichuan, AIM Architecture has bridged the gaps between the power of a journey, and the beauty of discovery.  AIM’s HARMAY playbook always involves an element... More

Chengdu Shimao Longquanyi Shopping Center is located in Longquan Mountain, Longquanyi District, Chengdu. It is a popular tourist city, every march in spring, the city welcomes many tourists and lots of activities going on, it is a beautiful city with unique natural scenery and tourism resources. In the development project, 3MIX tries to integrate unique natural resources and introduce elements such as hibiscus, ginkgo, bamboo forest and tree house to create a unique commercial experience, making it a new star of shopping and fashion lifestyle center. The huge ginkgo leaf-shaped LED screen instantly increases the attractiveness of the entrance. 3MIX introduces the design concept of “Flower Whisper”. The walk flows inspired by the... More

The proposal is located in the newly planned Wuhou District of south-west Chengdu. The site is positioned adjacent to the intersection of two main roads as well as two new metro lines which will connect this area directly to the city centre. The project contains a variety of program such as retail, residential, and SOHO apartments. With this programmatic mix, CLOU sought to resolve design challenges such as avoiding a dark and canyon-like retail street amongst high towers and orientating the six towers appropriately for the apartment types in each. Outdoor basketball and yoga courts, an urban farm, a green lab, pop-up stores and a landscape staircase act as outdoor public gathering spaces and main attractions. These elements weave through... More

The 42,000 sqm Tianfu UniFuns is located in the Tianfu developmental zone of Chengdu. The area is expanding as it combines the science district and a new CBD which are connected by an ecological corridor. With this context in mind, CLOU aims to deliver a design innovation which responds to the lively prospect of the area’s development and goals. Chengdu Unifuns presents a unique aesthetic inspired by the Rubik’s Cube. The facades features a simple module which can be developed into various combinations. White pixel modules with red details create different spatial and visual effects. During the daytime, the square-shaped volumes blend into the orderly surroundings of the community while at night, light penetrates through the op... More

This four-storey mall situated alongside the busy Beixing Avenue is set to become a new retail destination in Chengdu’s Xindu District. CLOU worked with Longfor to develop and apply a series of detail modules in order to standardise future shopping mall plans. The challenge was to create highlights and variation with a framework of repetition. The design offers a spatial narrative by defining three distinctive mall entrances. The north-east entrance is envisaged as canyon washed in moonlight, actualised by a public plaza and terraced volumes which form an open civic gathering place. The south-west entrance is outlined by a cantilever roof structure as the ‘oasis’ under canopies. The entrance which faces the busy intersec... More

The brief was to create a hiatus for the modern man that delivered a high-end, cut and shave barber experience with the addition of a bar and pre/post shave “chill” space. Located in the popular Chengdu Taikoo Li mall customers would be encouraged to have a cocktail and cut whilst their partners’ shopped next-door. The design concept was a modern take on the roaring 30’s gentrification by tying classical elements with thoughtfully introduced bold and modern details. The intertwining of masculine details through a lens of soft elegance.  Greeted by a bar on arrival and a large curved plush velvet banquette surrounded by a logo etched copper wall, Doc’s delivers a grand high-end aesthetic.  Art deco c... More

To establish a Japanese restaurant in China, connecting both cultures with a common language is of prime importance. These two cultures look at landscapes in different ways. Although both cultures portray landscapes differently, the primary concern for each is artistic mood. The designer Ahead Concept Design integrated the two in moulding a new manner of expression. By means of conspicuous, shapely stones and rock gardens, and transparent screens bearing traditional Chinese ink paintings, a richly layered spatial relationship is established. More

In 2012 MLA+ was commissioned to redesign the Tianxi Twin Towers. Upon completion the twin towers in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in South-Eastern China, are the tallest residential twin towers of the world.As part of the redesign the communal spaces on the ground floor and the tower tops, as well as the complete façade strategy where revised. The glass façade is decorated with a high contrast pattern that wraps the towers like a fabric. This powerfull design is executed as a modular, prefabricated system – an intelligent and cost effective way to combine expressive image and smart technical solution.During the design process, our local developer client Menli partnered with the international brand Armani/Casa to strengthen... More

Icon Yunduan Tower is a 192-metre-high hybrid building located in a high-tech zone on the outskirts of the city of Chengdu, China. The aim of the project was to create a landmark visible on entering the city as well as a focal point for the earlier building phases of the area. The project is based on a winning entry in an invited architecture competition in 2009.The assignment comprised the design of an office and residential area, which was developed further in collaboration with the client and a local design office, China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute (CSWADI). During the design process, what was originally planned as an office tower evolved into a versatile, mixed-use building complex. A shopping centre occ... More