Situated adjacent to the historic Tianfu Square, the largest city square in southwest China, Star Plaza is a 60,000-square-metre retail development in the centre of Chengdu. It will host a mix of retail, F&B and events. The replanning and redesigning of the architecture and interiors by the Lead 8 design team are all part of a bid to stave off competition from neighbouring malls, which has been growing in recent years.
Cultural Connection
Each of the three main exterior façades will be developed to complement their environment. On the north side of East Royal Street, there will be a high-end pedestrian street, while to the south, historic Ranfang Street will be extended by a sunken cultural precinct that connects into the retail basement, as well as major subway lines. The main mall entrance on the east features a 2,000-square-metre outdoor piazza and will act as a major social hub. To connect the shoppers’ experience to the local history, Ranfang Street is refurbished with a contemporary expression of traditional culture with handcrafted and artistic textile backgrounds. The touch of design is also extended into the adjacent indoor food street and the cultural market.
New Retail Experience
The zoning strategy, unlike that of traditional malls that categorise different trade mix to different areas, features diverse activities blended into an interesting hybrid. The shop area is extended out to the arcade corridor, integrating tenant spaces and public areas. Star Plaza also has balconies with seating lounges and bridges with feature cafés located throughout the mall to create a social platform for people to interact, enlivening the atmosphere as a community space.
The interior layout has smaller components and a boutique-like feel to enhance the interaction between retail and restaurant brands. It also creates a multidimensional experience for visitors with lighting details, feature canopies and colourful ceiling fans. To deliver a strong visual contrast to the different levels, a warm colour palette and textured materials on the upper levels are combined with the colourful and trendy features on the basement levels.
Most of the materials were sourced from local contractors for better budget control and shorter lead time. Exceptions were made for specific materials, such as the moss tiles for the internal green walls, which were imported from Europe.
Celebrating Constraints
The structural constraints at the mall are celebrated as distinctive design features. For example, the exposed columns along the arcade corridor serve as display and branding areas for tenants. Small-scale events such as workshops and demonstrations could also take place at the non-leasable space around the columns.
The unused escalator platforms, which protrude out to the atrium due to relocation of the escalators, become iconic feature balconies for F&B seating. Similarly, the narrow corridor width could be turned into an opportunity for tenants to extend product displays for customers who are exploring along the corridors.
PROJECT DATA
Project Name: Star Plaza
Location: Chengdu, China
Completion Date: 2019
Gross Floor Area: 60,000 square metres (retail)
Client/Owner: Chengdu Sino-Strong Co, Ltd
Interior Design Firm: Lead 8
Principal Designers (Interiors): Chris Lohan; Ada Ng
Principal Architects: Simon Chua; Wisely Suen
Lighting Consultants: U.K. 5A; TeamLab (installation artist)
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
Civil & Structural Engineer: WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
Images: Lead8 Hong Kong Ltd
