Located in the northern district of Qingdao, the Future City Mall aims to foster mingling aesthetics, creativity, and social experiences, thereby bringing renewed vitality to Qingdao’s old town and its environs. To enhance the concept further, CLOU Architects was commissioned by Future City to design the fourth-floor atrium of this newly opened mall.
“The crux of the design challenge was to create an iconic social space, tempting customers to the mall’s upper levels and energizing its retail and dining areas. This led to the concept of an immersive jungle garden,” say the architects.
Contemporary consumers prioritise comfort, intimacy, and a connection with nature, wellness, and social interaction in commercial and public spaces. Responding to these preferences, CLOU aimed to integrate nature and art into an immersive space, creating a vibrant and experientially unique jungle garden inspired by the paintings of Henri Rousseau.
At the heart of the atrium, a two-story red cube structure serves as the focal point, surrounded by a lush jungle of plants and water. The vibrant colours, light, and shade of the design evoke a dreamlike atmosphere reminiscent of the primitive and mysterious scenes in Rousseau’s paintings.
To create an eye-catching visual impact and quickly grab the attention of visitors, CLOU chose bright red as the primary colour. Like the colourful flowers and animals that populate Rousseau’s enigmatic paintings, the design creates a dazzling contrast between the subject, the background, and a pleasing sense of illusion.
A circular bridge on the first floor connects the central cube to the surrounding areas, offering different staircases for visitors to explore. The tropical greenery, seating, water features, and staircases create human-scale details, enhancing the walking experience and enticing customers to linger and explore. This alluring, outdoor feeling provides visitors with a place where their imaginations can roam freely.
Numerous pathways and steps create interactive scenes for socialising, exploring, and taking photos. The entire atrium functions as a public space for the local community to relax, and it is an ideal venue for hosting joyful community events.
“With the unique spatial experience created for Qingdao Future City, CLOU hopes to activate the social and artistic potential of the commercial space by creating a fun, intimate, and pleasurable place for creating lasting memories,” the architects remark.
