UNStudio, in collaboration with Nihon Sekkei, has recently completed a brand new shopping center in Shanghai. Called the Shanghai Jiuguang Center, the project merges an advanced commercial ecosystem with a human-centric, customer-friendly destination.

Nihon Sekkei was tasked with developing the outer shell of the retail center, while UNStudio took on the development of the mall as a placemaking destination for customers and the larger community. This included the design of the inner courtyard and its façades, the interior of the mall, and a public rooftop terrace. User experience was the core of UNStudio’s design, informed by looking at the various ways users could engage with different spaces and by creating curated shopping experiences. 

The courtyard and landscape area sits at the heart of the mall. It serves as both an event space for the site itself and the broader community. The courtyard is sunken with integrated seating, planting, and lighting, which makes it a destination during the day and the evenings. The courtyard connects the basement levels and the upper levels with a staircase and escalators. In addition, horizontal window bands in the façades surrounding the courtyard create a strong visual connection between the external space and the interior public areas on all levels.

The courtyard façade was conceived as a pearl within its shell, seen through the tessellated enclosure of the exterior façade. The balconies blur the relationship between interior and exterior, and the pearlescent material finish of the ceramic tiles emphasizes the daylight that hits different areas of the façade. The balcony detail also features color that matches with the colors of the interior spaces.

Three internal voids located on the perimeter of the courtyard continue the strong relationship between the structure’s interior and exterior. Each void has its own distinct identity and materialization, based on three different themes that vertically link the shopping experience and help to orientate visitors. 

The “urban playground” themed void is characterized by its bright and colorful material scheme. 

The “urban oasis” void employs warm color tones and brass articulations throughout. 

And, the “urban catwalk” void describes a nighttime atmosphere reflected in its dark and glossy materiality. 

The main vertical circulation is located alongside these voids, and the voids are connected on each floor by a continuous route that provides access to all shops. On every floor, this route is curated into three zones with a series of attraction points.

The ceiling design features a pattern that acts as a wayfinding tool, pointing to common areas such as restrooms, elevators, and the escalators located next to the voids. 

“Shopping malls are the public spaces of Chinese cities,” said UNStudio founder and principal architect Ben van Berkel. “These retail complexes are not simply places to shop, they are all-in-one destinations for outings and social gatherings. They are also places where culture and commerce merge and where architecture can express this expansive condition.”