Hu Chen Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Flourishing Grandbuy Renovation of a Department Store in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

The Work

Project

Flourishing Grandbuy Renovation of a Department Store

Function

Renovation of a Department Store

Category

Interior Space and Exhibition Design

Discipline

Spatial Design

Industry

Architecture and Packaging & Retail

Colors

Linen, Silver, Rosy Brown, Dark Olive Green and Gray

Images

5

Client

Guangzhou Grandbuy Co.,Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate

Hu Chen

Country

China

Recognition

Bronze A' Design Award

Edition

2022 - 2023

Design ID

#142024

Credits

Image Credits

Photographer IVY Photography & Production,On-site Photo of the Interior1,2021.; Photographer IVY Photography & Production, On-site Photo of the South Entrance,2021. Image #3 Photographer IVY Photography & Production,On-site Photo of the East Entrance,2021.; Photographer IVY Photography & Production, On-site Photo of the Interior2,2021.; Photographer IVY Photography & Production, On-site Photo of the Interior3,2021. Video Credits: Brief Introduction Video of GRANDBUY, Guangzhou Harber Architectural Design Co., Ltd, 2022.

Design Details

Unique Properties

Grandbuy is an old department store at a famous pedestrian street of Guangzhou, China. It included two buildings constructed in different time, which leads to a spatial misalignment in between. This impaired the consumers' experience and their revenues. The store was needed to be renovated. This design reconstructs the consumers' route, connecting the buildings as a whole in both spatial and business sides. On the reopening day after the renovation, the sales reach the highest peak of the year.

Inspiration

The renovation of a department store is a huge system that requires consideration of various aspects, but among which, the consumers' route, like the “blood vessel” of commercial spaces, plays the most essential role in the whole system. It is the inspiration and the core of our project. Following this “vessel”, we use spatial design techniques to reconstruct the consumers' route, so as to circulate consumers' flow, attract more consumers, and upgrade the brands to improve the store's revenues.

Research

Research Type: Department Store, Commercial Space Renovation Design Research Objectives: This project was given to us by our client. At the beginning, our client only knew that their department store property was too old to attract new consumers, which was affecting sales. Therefore, in order to be more competitive, they needed to renovate the property. By making various on-site research, business analysis, consumers' route analysis, and aesthetic research, we finally made "upgrading the consumers' route to improve " the objectives of our entire proposal.

Challenge

Before the renovation, the connection between the old and new buildings was obstructed, the outdoor image was weak, the indoor guidance was unclear, and the passenger flow through rate was low. In the exterior space, consumers mainly entered and exited the store from the east entrance, while the south entrance with the largest plaza space on the whole pedestrian street was always less crowded because of the unattractive visual expression and the unsuitable consumers’ route. The underutilization leads to a lack of connection and convenience between the interior and exterior space, which also decreases the consumers’ infusion from the outside to inside.

Realization and Technology

My design is a renovation of a whole department store, thus countless materials and construction techniques were highly involved. Therefore, due to the characters limitation, in this part, I could only and I would like to choose one of the worth-mentioned materials to explain. At the east entrance of the department store, with side-by-side buildings nearby, we use the light weight aluminum plate with changeable color system and cast it into the tile shape of Guangzhou architecture, with illusion lighting and computer imaging RGB color LED lamp bead matrix to make the department store "jump out" within the side-by-side buildings.

Operation and Interaction

This project was designed in the following 4 steps. Step1：Form a central axis and a core atrium to improve the holistic relationship between the new and old buildings to avoid spatial fragmentation to better circulate the in-store consumers’ route and enhance the visibility and accessibility of the shops. Step2：Add sightseeing new elevator and escalators to strengthen the vertical accessibility of each floor to eliminate cold business areas to attract more consumers and better fulfill their needs.

Project Duration and Location

The project was designed in March 2018, and was landed in September 2020. The project is now in use and perfectly operating.

Specifications

Total Volume: 66300㎡

Keywords

Department Store Renovation, Department Store Design, Commercial Spacee Renovation, Commercial Space Design, Renovation Design, Interior Design, Interior Renovation, Consumers' Route design, Architectural Design, Facade Design