The MixC One Mall, created for project developer CR Land, is in Dalian, a port city on the Bohai Gulf widely considered the romantic city of north-east China. The characteristic coastal landscape of the region, an identifying feature for the local population, became the leitmotif of the design. The 84,000 m² mall contains more than 260 stores and combines a superlative shopping experience with the concept of a social hub consistently developed around the user?s perspective. Among the mall?s visual highlights are its impressively large atrium voids that are flooded with natural light thanks to generous skylights. The individual levels are modeled in a variety of organic shapes around a central air space. The atriums are thus stacked and staggered upon each other, resembling the irregular projections of a rocky island. At the same time, visual relationships are created between the galleries on the different vertical levels, arousing curiosity and encouraging visitors to explore the space. Overall, the mall appears as a large-scale sculptural space that is clear and uncluttered, yet full of surprises. © Ippolito Fleitz Group
The atmosphere inside the mall is as relaxed as taking a gentle meander along the beach. The material concept evokes maritime associations with pale-colored slats dominating the walls and ceilings. They are reminiscent of driftwood weathered by the sun, pontoons leading out into the water, or perhaps the hull of a fishing boat. The ceiling lamellae vary...