Hualian Mall
Nine-story cutting-edge shopping centre in the heart of Shanghai.
Sector: Retail and Mixed-Use
Country: China
Client: Hualian Retail Company
Services: Architecture
Flyer: View Flyer
Located in a landmark location in Shanghai and on a very narrow site, the client wanted a nine-story cutting-edge designed shopping mall. The key challenge of this project was to maintain the viability of the upper floor retail space.
MAP’s solution was to create a transparent shopping centre to tempt shoppers by giving them a hint of what lay within, and when inside, what was on the floors above. To create a dynamic inside the mall MAP designed the space so customers could see what was happening inside the most interesting shops and could see the flow of people moving up down escalators and through the public walkways and open spaces. The transparency of the exterior with views into an active people-filled interior would attract more shoppers into the centre.
To create this dynamic inside MAP focused on floor layouts, lighting and smart signage. A series of escalators working their way up nine levels were positioned in the voice space in the centre. A large covered piazza was proposed at one end where people could meet, eat and socialize and where promotional events could be held. A large LED screen was recommended for the meeting place to play anything from fashion shows to sporting events and even advertisements for the tenants.
The most successful shopping malls in Hong Kong are lined inside with uninterrupted ribbons of full-height glass shop fronts. MAP simply applied this concept to the outside, making the whole building as transparent as possible.
