Center 66: A Masterpiece of Architecture and Design by Aedas

Revolutionizing Retail Spaces with Fluid Design and Innovative Technology

The design of Center 66 is a harmonious blend of history and modernity. The master plan focuses on the historical buildings on the site, layering new elements to create a plaza that respects the site's context. The Ming Dynasty Opera House and the rare Chinese vernacular houses with western architectural influence serve as delightful focal points at the heart of the development.

Inspired by the fluid strokes of Chinese calligraphy and the movement of people, the design creates a dialogue between the existing historical buildings and the new urban space. The 'strokes' of people flow combine to form a loop that establishes a momentum culminating in three spinning glass atria. These atria visually reinforce the circulation direction, creating a vortex of activity in the heart of the scheme.

The mall concept is focused on enhancing people flow. Three glass atriums extend beyond to form a triangular loop around an arcade, and shoppers can guide themselves around the loop using the distinctive landmarks at each junction of the atriums. The direction of the escalators is designed to guide shoppers up the six levels – all of them go up clockwise and down counter-clockwise.

One of the unique properties of Center 66 is its transparent ends. These provide a physical and visual connection to the city, allowing visitors to orientate themselves with the views from the atrium ends. A 45m high tension cable wall was designed to avoid any visual disruption by windows or curtain wall structure, making it the tallest vertical spanning cable wall in China.

The design of Center 66 was realized using innovative technology. The project, which started in August 2006 and was completed in September 2013, was a challenging endeavor. The creative challenge was to develop a concept that unifies all disparate approach flows of people into a cohesive, legible, and welcoming building, while maintaining sufficient momentum to drive people to the upper levels of the mall.

Center 66 has been recognized for its innovative design and was awarded the Golden A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2014. This award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.