MVRDV has unveiled design for a shopping mall made up of a stack of colorful boxes in Chengdu, China. 

Named LuLa Light Mall, the 22,200-square-metre open-air shopping centre is a largely open-air shopping centre currently under construction in the developing Luxelakes Eco-City district of Chengdu. 

Drawing inspiration from Luxelakes' verdant natural surroundings and Chengdu's reputation for outdoor living, the design resembles a loose stack of boxes with roomy gaps between them. 

The project features spacious terraces, walkways, and staircases where guests may take in the scenery of the nearby lake and Chengdu's temperature.

The eco-town of Luxelakes has been steadily growing in Chengdu's southern region for the last 20 years. With a total area of 5.5 square kilometers, it is distinguished by its 1.4 square kilometers of meandering lakes, a profusion of vegetation, and a large number of lakefront projects that give the district a park-like feel. 

With a portion of this lake and vegetation to the southeast of the property and tall skyscrapers to the northwest, LuLa Light Mall is situated in a transitional area between the city and the outdoors.

Drawing inspiration from Chengdu's parks' numerous pavilions, the MVRDV team set out to minimize the barrier their design produced by building a porous project with constant views of nature. 

A 99-meter-tall, 19-story tower on the western end of the plot and a four-story plinth occupying the remaining space make up the project's two primary components. 

In contrast to a conventional mall typology, which consists of an atrium surrounded by a shell of commercial spaces, the plinth section divides these commercial units into smaller boxes and stacks them to let light, air, views, and people into the spaces between. This is known as the "light mall" concept. 

To maximize the views of the lake, a number of huge boxes are stacked and rotated in different directions on the site's eastern end.

A visit to LuLa Light Mall also functions as a promenade by the lake because of the numerous spacious outdoor terraces that are created by these stacked boxes and the walkways and stairs that connect them. These walkways and steps also lead down to the water's edge. 

The boxes' vibrant exteriors serve to further support this. Each box is distinctly defined by a substantial frame around the sides, and within are glass walls with vibrant mullions that mimic the colors of the pavilions that are now present in Chengdu's parks.

This strategy also has the advantage of minimizing the project's cooling needs, which lowers the energy needed to run it. The building's roofs will have solar panels that will provide some of that energy.

"LuLa Light Mall will be a crucial hub for commercial space in Luxelakes, but in our design we move away from the typical closed, air-conditioned shopping typology towards an airy indoor-outdoor experience," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. 

"By opening up space in between units, we extend the park. By shifting boxes, we create outdoor terraces and alleys. Visual connections and inviting staircases will make it more appealing to use the stairs than the lifts and escalators." 

"It will feel like walking through a village with great views towards the lakes and nature, making the most of the climate of Chengdu," Van Rijs added.

The LuLa Light Mall proposes a lot of versatility because of the different ways that spaces are stacked and combined. Commercial spaces vary widely in size; some have elevator access, while others are accessible by walkway; some are located close to the lake's edge, while others have expansive terraces with expansive views. 

As a result, these spaces can accommodate a huge variety of different commercial activities: shops, restaurants, cafés, bars, spas, salons, and gyms can all find a comfortable home alongside nature here.

Concept design

Typology evolution

MVRDV recently designed an installation that presents a story of plastic waste and recycling at the heart of Bangkok Design Week in Thailand. In addition, the firm wrapped the new Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic elements in the shape of diamonds in Stuttgart, Germany. Moreover, the firm turned an old shipping container into a modular, multi-functional clubhouse to use the power of sport to aid refugees. 

Project facts

Project name: LuLa Light Mall

Architects: MVRDV

Location: Chengdu, China

Year: 2019-

Client: Chengdu Wide Horizon new town development co., Ltd

Architect: MVRDV

Founding Partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs 

Partner: Wenchian Shi

Design Team: Steven Smit, Marco Gazzola, Zheli Cai, Sen Yang, Enrica Perrot, Echo Zhai, Michele Tavola, Ruochen Zhang, Cosimo Scotucci, Anastasia Voutsa, Elisa Paneni, Yan Ying Zhang, Shanshan Wu, Albert Parfonov, Ming Kong, Cai Huang, Daehee Suk, Shanshan Wu, Alice Huang, Jammy Zhu, Kevin Zhao, Yihong Chen, Chi Zhang, Martin Chen.

Visualisation: Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris, Angelo LaDelfa, Lorenzo D’alessandro, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Priscilla Antinori.

Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries Partners.

Co-architect, structural engineer, MEP: Zhoyu Design group Co.,Ltd 

Landscape architect: UrbanX

All images & drawings © MVRDV.

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concept MVRDV shopping mall