Project Description
Project: Renovation of the 5th and 6th floor of the shopping center “Joy City Chaoyang” in Beijing, China.
The space was originally a multi-storey parking space.
A common concept zone called ‘JOYYARD’ now unifies the two floors in a special environment for the customers.
・The design concept is "a natural and artistic town".
In order to offer an unique experience to the customers, the designers used a large number of real plants with fountains and small rivers to increase the realistic atmosphere.
At the center of the atrium, a 12-meter tree connects the 5th and 6th floor offering a visual guideline to the eyes. The client brought a real tree from Africa which was hollowed out, processed with an antiseptic treatment and wrapped around the pillar.
What also makes this project unique is the use of hand-made sketches instead of computerized renderings by the designers . The owner appreciated this design process as it offered a more realistic feeling and enabled the designers to share their values during the proposal.
In order to keep the overall design true to the image of a small town, the designers established regulations for the entrance of each tenant store.
The streets are represented realistically. The facades of the stores are inspired by the image of grocery stores and open terrace cafes.
・The design of ‘Time Flow’ shows the passage of time.
The designers worked with the lighting and the illumination of the streets to show the passage of time.
The environment resembles a small town where the customers can take a stroll. This feeling is conveyed with several up-and-down passageways, vans and bridges.