SPARK designs a dynamic shopping experience for visitors to Fuzhou Wusibei Thaihot Plaza.
May 22nd, 2014
Fuzhou Wusibei Thaihot Plaza is centrally located in Wusi Bei Dajie, Jinan District.
The facade is made up of colour shifting aluminium panels, resulting in an exterior that is constantly changing. Selected facets also serve key visual functions as a surface for illuminated signage boxes, advertisements and LED screens. And when night falls, perforations in the panels allow light to pass through, creating a ‘starry night’ effect.
Following a typical mall typology, the cinemas and KTV lounges are located at the upper levels of the mall. These operate into the early hours of the morning long past the closing time of the other retail facilities.
The mall thus has two complementary circulation routes – a 12-hour day route and a 24-hour route. Retail programs that operate in the day (12-hour) are consolidated into a shopping mall podium typology. Circulation routes and terraces are carved out of the podium facilitating access to the rooftop where there are a variety of 24-hour activities such as miniature golf and full service dining.
When normal shopping functions close, customers are offered an alternative route lined with shops and terraces snaking along the podium facade. This route is further animated by its adjacency to the pedestrian street.
Inside, the mall has a voluminous atrium filled with colour and light. As an extension of the faceted facade, a crystalline LED advertisement panel hovers over the atrium concierge, serving as the visual focal point of the mall. The pristine white interior atrium is accentuated by coloured highlights on the escalators situated in the middle of the atrium. Linear LED chandeliers sit over the events space, and backlit floor peepholes are strewn across the atrium bridges like scattered jewels as a playful addition to the space.
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