Peng Zheng was determined to create something unique and unconventional for Times Property’s sales centre in Guangzhou’s Grandview Mall.

The Founder of C&C Design Co., Ltd., Zheng is young and dynamic, with an interest in contemporary design and China’s urbanisation process, and a guest lecturing position at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. His work on the Times Property space is the first of its kind, aiming to expand the experience around the buying of property by contributing to the lifestyle of potential customers.

The experience centre is a lifestyle space

The experience centre includes an art gallery, a refreshment area, a reading corridor, a multifunctional lounge, and a business and negotiation area – all of which is spread over a mostly open space of 9,515 square feet. It has been designed to cater to a variety of activities, including events such as art exhibitions, cultural salons, fashion shows, conferences and academic forums.

“Exhibits” of what a contemporary lifestyle might look like at the experience centre

The centre hopes to attract the forward-thinking communities of Guangzhou to visit a real-life environment, giving them an opportunity to mingle and exchange in an urban agora of sorts, rather than engaging in faceless online interaction.

“We wanted to go beyond the traditional sales centre and convince Times Property to accept new things by incorporating elements of art and design. Equally, we wanted to encourage people to interact in real life” says Zheng, who was the brains behind the idea for a sales centre that offered a range of leisure offerings. He refers to the overall project as “a composite and innovative commercial space.”

The experience centre is a “composite and innovative commercial space,” says Zheng

The palette of the overall space focuses on black and white, with some pops of red and natural wood. The ceiling and one of the walls are black, with large brush-stroke effects on the surface for texture.

A well-lit library covers most of the back wall, inviting potential readers to sit on large wooden benches that also serve as stalls for minimalist sculptures. White, neon capital letters punctuate this area, telling visitors what they can read about, from BUILDING to LIVING and BRANDING. The cafe-style refreshment area is pointed out by the same white neon letters, which announce that this space is for DRINKING. Here, a long, communal table invites people to interact.

The refreshment area at Times Property’s experience centre

Along the walls are white boxes filled with sofas and armchairs, plants and coffee table books, as well as small artworks. These have a museum-like quality to them, demonstrating the contemporary way of life Times Property helps its customers achieve and inviting the viewer to intimacy. Also on show are larger artworks, including a 13-foot sculpture of iconic design figurine Mr. P, created by Thai advertising agency Propaganda.

The library and the giant Mr. P sculpture

Then there’s a piece by Chinese artist Feng Feng, who worked with Zheng to create an art wall around the theme ‘Timing Home’. The artist and the designer assembled everyday objects such as furniture, ironing boards, plates, old televisions, and a washing machine, covering them all with white paint. The work they created hints at household activities, all seen through a stylised reality – an approach that’s in line with the Times Property experience centre as a whole.

C&C Design Co., Ltd.
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