Revolutionizing Retail: CR Land Luyang MiXC by AICO

Blending Nature and Architecture in a Unique Shopping Experience

The project, located in Hefei City, China, started in June 2016 and was completed in September 2019. It is situated in a newly emerging high-end residential area, offering residents an enhanced life experience. Despite the fierce competition from other shopping centers, the design team managed to make this medium-sized project stand out, thanks to its innovative design and unique features.

The inspiration for this project comes from the desire for nature in a busy urban context. To create dialogues with nature, the design team created five gardens on different levels as a buffer to the city. The building façade, an interpretation of nature, creates a unique feature for the project. Furthermore, nature has been extended to the indoor area, creating a unique shopping/walking space with an outdoor experience.

One of the unique properties of this design is the series of signature spaces created, such as the sky sports park with the first-ever cantilevered running track on a shopping mall in mainland China. With a well-designed retail circulation, the team managed to fit a horse-track loop inside the 75 m depth of the floor plan, accommodating more than 220 tenants with a 76,115 sqm GFA. This design gives visitors a more diverse shopping experience. A unique green space is also introduced at every level of the mall to enhance indoor and outdoor connections.

The design realization technology used in this project is noteworthy. To achieve a clear roof for the “Sky Park”, the design team coordinated with landscape, mechanical, and structural engineers to remove all the MEP rooms to the outskirts of the main roof. The “Sky Ring” — a cantilevered running track — was beautifully realized using a large spanned steel structure. On top of the track, a fully transparent floor has been implemented to emphasize the extraordinary running experience. A unified metal Fin was covered on the main curved façade, creating dynamic lighting and shadow effects from different views of the city.

This project has been recognized for its innovative design and was awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2021. The award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.