10 Design’s first major commission is the design of one of the largest retail developments in the world.
The mixed use development in Zhuhai, China contains 360,000 square meters of leasable retail space, together with commercial, hotel, serviced apartments and residential accommodation totalling 510,000 square meters. Shoring of the site is already complete and it is anticipated that the piling of the development will commence later in 2011.
‘’We have immensely enjoyed working with this incredibly innovative client who has moved his thinking from the standard ‘black box’ retail model and has instead challenged us to create a series of rich and diverse retail and entertainment environments, with significant external civic and public space being gifted back to the community,” stated 10 Design Partner, Gordon Affleck.
“This philanthropic gesture from the Summer Group together with the close, interactive nature of the design process, has resulted in a remarkable development, which will undoubtedly become one of the major destinations in Southern China.”
The site of the development is unique in this important, growing city as it is the meeting point between the grid of the city and the natural topography of the surrounding hill range. The design of the development takes inspiration from this with a dynamic “urban super wall” defining the sites edge with the urban grid. The super wall is made up of series of giant, stacked stone, steel and LED blocks that are stacked to open and cantilever out across the street.
The LED blocks act as media and light entry gateways and break out points. These break gates within the wall reveal the softer organic, planted terrace building and street forms within – like a giant, secret garden. The terraces within the heart of the site are sculpted to reflect the flow of pedestrian movement through the site along undulating terraced valleys that open to create external plazas and close to create intimate shaded courtyards.
The development is one of the two largest new developments in Zhuhai, both designed by 10 Design Partner, Gordon Affleck. Affleck was previously responsible for competition winning design of the Shizimen Business District. The first phase of construction includes a 600,000square meters of accommodation including an International Convention and Exhibition Complex and a 310 meter high mixed use tower.
2011 has seen phenomenal growth for the eight month old company based in Hong Kong, currently employing more than 70 staff. Partners David Pringle and Ross Milne joined the company earlier in the year. Additionally 10 Design recently established a new office in Shanghai, appointing Barry Shapiro and Cecilia Zhang as Partners in charge.