Yoyo City: A Harmonious Blend of Urban and Natural Elements

LnP Architects' Yoyo City: A New Icon for Yinchuan, China

Yoyo City stands as a testament to the power of innovative architectural design. The project, which is adjacent to a natural wetland and a prime express highway, is intended to serve as the city's new icon. The design incorporates elements from the surrounding wetland, including floating islands, to create a cohesive development that links a boutique apartment, a shopping street, and a mall. The result is a garden mall concept that extends its energy into the interior green spaces, creating a unique urban-natural fusion.

The project's façade is a marvel of modern design and technology. It features durable granite stone panels with champagne linear aluminum fins division and large billboard glass panels integrated with LED screens. The lower levels are covered by curtain-wall glass and glass box billboards, while the mall features a kinetic wind-driven pixel plates system in a champagne color. The mall also boasts a 4-storey water jet waterfall and a superstructure recreational bird nest as central atrium features.

Yoyo City covers a site area of 49,249 sqm with a total GFA of 122.990 sqm. The complex includes a 5-storey shopping mall spanning 100,270 sqm, a 2-storey street retail area of 10,960 sqm, and a 14-storey service apartment covering 11,760 sqm. The project began in December 2019 and is currently in the Design Development stage, with a grand opening targeted for the end of 2022.

The design of Yoyo City was inspired by its unique location between a preserved wetland park and a residential commercial zone. The designers envisioned the project as more than just a retail mall; they wanted it to serve as an urban link, creating a city living room that offers an external communal belt and an internal natural green garden. This design strengthens the connection between the community and its natural surroundings, providing a diversified experience for the people of Yinchuan.

One of the key challenges faced during the design process was the integration of public space and pedestrian flow on the ground level, while accommodating vehicular access and circulation in the basement level. The designers successfully transformed this challenge into an opportunity, creating a vibrant commercial arrival point in the basement that is as active and important as the ground level.

Yoyo City is a shining example of innovative, sustainable design that blends urban and natural elements. The project was awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2021, a testament to its outstanding design and innovation. Yoyo City stands as a new city gateway, offering a unique garden mall experience to the people of Yinchuan.