UNStudio has created a monumental façade with petal-like columns for Huawei flagship store in Shanghai, China. 

Called Huawei Taikoo Li Flagship Store, the two-storey store features a series of petal-like columns informed by biophilic forms found in nature - the natural forms are seamlessly translated from outside to inside, according to UNStudio. 

Image © Wen Studio

The 1,810-square-metre store was envisioned to provide a distinct and user-driven customer experience. 

Designed for Huawei, a leading Chinese pioneer in information and communications technology and smart products, UNStudio has closely worked with the Huawei Design team to deliver a sculptural flagship store. 

UNStudio responded to this challenge by devising an experience-rich concept that brings people, nature and technology together and caters to consumer preferences. 

Image © Huawei

"Among the many interfaces found in retail nowadays, the flagship store we have created for Huawei in Shanghai is one that blends interactive experiences, technology and community creation," said Ben van Berkel, Founder and Principal Architect, UNStudio. 

"The new store reimagines modern retail spaces as inviting environments that promote a sense of community and provide a contemporary venue for consumers and visitors to meet, share and innovate," added Van Berkel.

Described as "the Living Forest of Harmony", the team is inspired by nature and Huawei’s "Harmony" operating system. Throughout the exterior and interior of the store, the store adopts high performance, certified and recycled materials to reduce environmental damage and sustain the lifetime of the building, while detachable prefabricated systems are applied on the floors and ceilings.

Image © Wen Studio

The team implemented advanced ventilation systems and real-time monitoring throughout the store to ensure high indoor air quality and greenery is added to create a pleasant environment for customers and visitors alike.

"Referencing the recursive dynamics of growth within natural structures, the design reflects the algorithm that echoes Huawei's polar codes technology," said UNStudio. 

"Across the facade, petal-like features appear at different stages of growth, evolving in scale and rotation, to form an integrated geometric system that combines the brand with nature and technology," the firm added.

"Huawei TKL flagship store re-crafts Huawei’sinnovative technology into a design aesthetic. It seamlessly creates a unified facade and interior narrative, while using high performance, certified and recycled materials," said Hannes Pfau, Partner UNStudio.

Image © Wen Studio

The recursive petal facade

Through the main facade, the store represents a symbolic gateway to Taikoo Li, Qiantan. To create a distinct identity and welcoming gesture to visitors, the team used colours and rich materials with the unfolding composition. 

"The stems of the petals obscure the structural mullions of the glazing to compose a frameless glass front that maximises visibility and enables natural light to flood deep inside the store," the studio explained.

"In the evening, lighting elements embedded into the petal’s edges cast a soft glow across the facade and activate the frontage."

An undulating floor-to-ceiling glass surface makes up the south-facing facade and it blurs the boundary between the store’s interior and the outside public space. 

Image © Huawei

Seating elements and greenery placed within the meandering glass shopfront further merge inside and outside.

A key feature at the store is the spiraling "Tree of Harmony", which makes continue the aesthetic of the exterior facade into the store. 

The Tree of Harmony is also visible from outside, "this element anchors the main entrance area, serving as a traffic generator from both the interior and the exterior," according to the studio.

Image © Huawei

It further enables vertical circulation by diverting foot traffic to the staircase from the main atrium to the second floor. This tree feature is also designed to facilitate interactive experiences through AR: visitors are able to have a sensory experience of nature through sight, sound and smell.

The interior of the store is characterised by fluid circulation and a colour palette of warm, pure tones. This palette was deployed to unify the spaces, with ivory ceilings and floors and columns clad in wood and GRC. The product display tables are also made from wood and are accompanied throughout the store by complementary coloured furniture.

Image © Huawei

In addition to the centrally located key product display avenues, the team has created two different kinds of experiential zones are fluidly interwoven throughout the two-story store. 

Another elements include The "Signature Experience" zones that offer featured exhibits and services, while the five "Consumer Full Scenario Experience" zones enable interaction with Huawei’s products – which range from smart watches to smart cars. These zones encourage people to fully experience how connectivity will seamlessly integrate AI into every aspect of their daily lives.

Image © Wen Studio

A multi-functional community space

Designed as a flexible, user-centric interface, the store provides stimulating, multi-faceted experiences to Huawei’s customers. 

"It enables the pioneering tech company to identify and test the current and future needs and habits of its customers and create its own community within the store," the team continued. 

"Both floors are punctuated with spaces for gathering, relaxing and sharing."

Image © Huawei

The studio also created a community space for The HUAWEI Community, which is open to all visitors and can be configured flexibly depending on events. Here visitors can take part in Huawei’s public lectures, cultural activities and fitness and health classes.

A small café is located across from the lecture and event space, where customers can relax while awaiting after-sale services. In addition, an "In Real Life" area serves to provide space for work and leisure activities.

Image © Wen Studio

The brand gallery and brand wall by the south entrance provide an interface between the brand and the consumers. Here, Huawei’s evolving history and brand milestones are commemorated and a further break-out space is provided.

Façade diagram

Interior column diagram

UNStudio revealed design for a new mixed-use complex in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Area in Hangzhou, China. The firm won a competition to design a new mixed-use development in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Project facts

Project name: Huawei Taikoo Li Flagship Store

Architects: UNStudio

Client: Huawei

Location: Shanghai, China

Building surface: 1,810 m2

Building volume: 1,810 m2        

Completion date: 2023 

UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Hannes Pfau, Garett Hwang with Johnny Chan, Sungmi Hyun, Tony Hu, Joe Mak, Phyllis Cheung, Ana Castaingts Gomez, Kan Tong and Diego Ramirez Leon, Raina Lin, Gary Huang, Guomin Lin 

Local Executive Architect: UDG

Advisors

Lighting consultant: Brandston Partnership Inc. (BPI)

Facade consultant: Inhabit Group

Contractors

Main contractor: Symbol 

Facade contractor: Josef Gartner Curtain Wall (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd

Top image © Huawei.

All drawings © UNStudio.

> via UNStudio 

flagship store retail store UNStudio