The Butterfly Cove
In May 2019, QUAD studio was invited by Gemdale Properties and Investment Corporation Limited to participate in an international competition for the design of a mixed use development in a new satellite hub in Shanghai. Although the project finish in second place, we feel that our vision for place making was well worth sharing as an example of creating a world class destination that is more than just a hub on the outskirts of a mega-city.
Location: Meilanhu, Shanghai, PRC
Area: 704.000sqp
Client: Gemdale Properties and Investment Corporation Limited
Involvement: Shortlisted Competition Entry
QUAD Studio Design Team: Wai Tang, Kelvin Chu, Jack Zeng
All images by: SAN, Pixel I and QUAD
Creating a world class destination for the district of Baoshan
Located next to Meilan Lake Station, the development comprises of a concentrated retail mall, 4 office towers together clusters of creative headquarter offices congregated above retail street all connected by a pedestrian skywalk. Here, we not only have an opportunity to create a new satellite hub but a world class destination for the entire district of Baoshan. In one hand, it is a place where people from all around Baoshan can visit to experience the next generation of destination retail and on the other is a state-of-the-art facility created for individuals and consortiums alike to come together to rethink the future.
We are privilege to have the opportunity to design the content for unique world class destination, designing architecture and urban realm for the creative a community to develop a platform to lead the way towards the next chapter, an attraction and catalyst for the district of Baoshan.
The Next Generation of Destination Retail “Cannot be just another mall”
To design a future retail destination for Generation Y or even Z, it is not enough this to be just another mall. To adapt to the consuming behaviour of the next generation of consumers, we have to design to adapt to the way they experience retail and the way they shop. As more and more people shop ‘online’ what is the role of the retail mall of the future?
Retail malls need to adapt to these changes, rather than places just to buy products, mall is becoming places for social intervention, where people gather to interact. The brands are now investing in their products to interact more with the consumer resulting to shops becoming more experiential. Brands today immerse people into their world; hence the design of the retail mall has to change to adapt to this new world order.
Mall have the opportunity to become a destination experiential commercial complex where attractions can be designed to target different types of consumers depending on their interest. Attractions become consumer magnets and brands related to this attraction plays of these themes and suggestively sells products to these target consumers.
Diversified office environments - With a lack of prime office spaces in the district of Baoshan, this development has the opportunity to create a diversity of office types for different type of offices for office tenants and owners a like.
Rethinking the Grade A office - Here we ask the question, “what type of facilities I would like to have in a Grade A office of the future”. Apart from a good lifting performance and generous common areas, If I was to buy or rent a few floors for my headquarter office, I’m also looking at possibilities of having my own lifting system variety of meeting rooms I can rent and an exclusive private to serve my guests. Other office types to be taken into consideration area variety of different office sizes to suit different types of tenants and owners. Low rise office towers especially designed for consortiums to buy an as their district headquarters.
A people orientated public realm - Whether you are working, living or just visiting, the development is designed so that you can walk to different parts of the development and experiencing different types of attractions. This entails creating a permeable multilevel pedestrian linkage from below ground to the upper deck levels that blend together with landscape nodes, art and cafes designed for seamless integrations of functions as one explores the many micro worlds within the development.
