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While much of our coverage in China focuses on the latest supertall developments poised to permanently alter cityscapes and define civic identities, other major projects happening closer to the ground have arguably just as dramatic an effect. When China isn't attempting to introduce a new typology of skyscraper, they're reinventing the retail experience. And there's a whole trade association whose mandate it is to advance and promote the shopping centre industry worldwide.
One of their more flashy endeavors, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) hosts an awards program that recognizes innovative solutions, creative responses to market trends, and the best in cutting-edge retail design. In Shanghai on April 6, the ICSC China Awards presented Guangzhou's Parc Central project with the Gold Award for Design and Development (New Development).
Award-winning international firm Benoy delivered the master plan, architecture, and interior design for the multifaceted development, which is set in the heart of Guangzhou's new central business district. Opened in 2016, the project establishes a 'Stadium for Retail' that seamlessly blends a low-rise shopping scheme with a multi-storey park space.
Undulating gardens and walkways create a soothing environment for relaxation and reflection on the site of a former square. At the centre of the development lies a sunken garden surrounded by green walls and elevated pedestrian corridors. The retail and dining podium has been designed specifically to look out onto this synergistic space, as the skyline frames the scene in the background.
The fish-like steel monocoque structures are supported by tree-shaped columns, creating a sinuous geometry that plays out inside as well, where large atria pull natural light into the arcades. Sheathed in ETFE roof panels and programmable LEDs, the development can take on different personalities throughout the year. An interior fashioned in a neutral white colour palette and reconstituted stone fully highlights tenants and their merchandise.
Since opening, the development has received praise from a number of comparable industry programs, including the China Property Awards, A&D Trophy Awards, and MIPIM Asia Awards. Recognizing excellence, innovation, and creativity within China's retail real estate sector, the ICSC China Awards launched in 2015 under the ICSC Global Awards. Winners of the ICSC China Awards are automatically entered in the ICSC VIVA Awards, the global equivalent program, which are presented in Las Vegas during the international retail real estate convention known as RECon.
