News • 01.07.2020

Social hub for urban lifestyles and retail experience

A piazza for the modern era: Grand Gateway 66 in Shanghai

The interior of a shopping center with modern design...
Source: Denice Hough

Elena Galli Giallini Ltd. (EGGL) unveiled the rejuvenated North building of the Grand Gateway 66 retail complex (GG66), located in Shanghai’s bustling commercial, cultural, and historic zone of Xijiahui. Comprised of two distinct buildings of contrasting configurations, EGGL was commissioned to provide the prominent complex with a brand-new image, both architecturally and functionally.

“We derived much of our inspiration from the cultural traditions of Xijiahui and Shanghai,” explains Elena Galli Giallini, architect and director with EGGL. “We are endeavoring to create what sociologist Ray Oldenburg refers to as the “third place”, meaning engaging environments away from home and the workplace that offer possibilities for socializing, discovering, learning, and sharing.”

In approaching the North building, EGGL faced a dark and aesthetically unimpressive, undefined structure that housed a dense compound with an intricate array of small retail outlets. With poor connectivity and sparse public spaces, the existing building interior lacked definition and attractiveness.

Third place – designing a modern piazza

In response to the struggles of conventional malls in the face of an e-commerce surge, lifestyle changes, and evolving consumer demands, EGGL’s goal was to transform GG66 from what sociologist George Ritzer coined as a “cathedral of consumption”, to a social hub for modern, urban lifestyles, with the allure of a luxurious destination.

The interior of a shopping center with modern design and escalators...
Source: Denice Hough

Galli Giallini foresees surviving malls scaling up amenities, revamping branding, and focusing on new paradigms of experiential-based offerings, while also providing harmonious spatial relationships and enduring elegance. EGGL’s strategy in approaching the Grand Gateway 66 project aligns with that vision by enhancing the retail complex’s image, and by transforming it into an experiential destination.

EGGL complemented the architectural scheme with an infusion of primary design elements to define the character of the atrium, including spandrels with backlit glass panels, balustrades highlighted by metal and glass, and unconventionally-shaped columns. An abundance of open public spaces transformed lobbies on each level of the building into internal social plazas, each with its own visually distinctive atmosphere, and each centered on a core void incorporating the vertical circulation of backlit escalators.

To overcome the challenge of a complete lack of natural light, EGGL leveraged the ceiling design as an opportunity to infuse vibrancy into the scheme through the integration of key features and organic shapes that provide dynamic illumination. Ceiling folds and looping coves distribute suffuse light to enliven the building’s architectural features. Meanwhile, downlights serve as accent points, and the escalators further brighten the ambiance with their backlit wire mesh panels. On the sixth floor, ceiling breaks transform the escalator void into an eye-catching focus of folding planes and triangulated shapes. Hexagonal geometries interconnect to create sculptural features, with suffused light filtering along the edges.

EGGL’s selection of materials and choice of a soft color palette of beige and off-white hues for the ceilings and floors further compensates for the lack of natural light, while the bolder, darker hues of the metal claddings of columns and walls provide dynamic contrasts. Bronze and copper tones accentuate details and add warmth to the overall scheme. 

Source: Elena Galli Giallini LTD (EGGL)

related articles:

popular articles:

Thumbnail-Photo: Sustainability and flexibility in shopfitting: a look behind the scenes...
15.05.2024   #brick and mortar retail #sustainability

Sustainability and flexibility in shopfitting: a look behind the scenes at Globetrotter

How to create a sustainable store with “‘reuse and recycle”

In today's world, where sustainability is playing an increasingly important role, companies are focusing more ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Store design: a boutique workshop for gourmet pastry...
03.06.2024   #online trading #brick and mortar retail

Store design: a boutique workshop for gourmet pastry

Lecavalier Petrone combines functionality and aesthetics

Lecavalier Petrone, a renowned gourmet pastry shop run by Chloé Migneault-Lecavalier and Loïse Desjardins-Petrone, has ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Store concept: the magical pop-up store in Munich...
22.05.2024   #brick and mortar retail #shop building

Store concept: the magical pop-up store in Munich

Idea, implementation and challenges in “The Wizarding World Shop by Thalia”

Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Quidditch pitch - there are many places to visit in the stories of Harry Potter. Why not in a bookshop too? What was a great success in Hamburg can now be experienced by fans in Munich. For the 200 square meter pop-up store, ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Shop-in-Shop: Small solutions with great potential?...
12.06.2024   #sustainability #light systems

Shop-in-Shop: Small solutions with great potential?

Toy manufacturer Schleich reveals what is important for POS concepts

When brands rely on shop-in-shop, the following applies: As much as possible on ...