A Fine Art: When Design and Space Merge to Form a Work of Art

After the EXPO 2010, Shanghai began to put its Master Plan 2035 into action. As part of this grand plan, the West Bund area of 9.4 square kilometres, which had remained a wasteland after the World Expo closed, developed from a barren industrial landscape into a symbol of green transformation in the years that followed. But that’s not all: The promenade along Huangpu River is becoming one of the hotspots of China’s largest metropolis. Countless galleries and museums, but also educational and leisure facilities, shops and hotels join parks and green spaces, and have already pushed international architects, landscape planners and designers of all stripes to deliver some inspiring projects. While the neighbouring Bund district represents Shanghai’s past and Pudong on the opposite bank represents Shanghai’s future, the newly created West Bund arts and culture district stands for a more human-centric, varied environment with a strong recreational appeal. In September 2020, the Sunac Sales Center joined this creative and stimulating landscape.

In line with its ‘Passion for Perfection’ slogan, real estate company Sunac China Holdings Ltd. has set itself the goal of enabling a better lifestyle for Chinese families with its range of complete solutions. High-quality living, culture, commercial facilities and other services all go hand in hand, and address a clientele that understands and appreciates quality. Accordingly, it is hardly surprising that the West Bund sales centre is more than an elegant sales space designed to provoke material longing. Rather, it is a place in which customer wishes manifest themselves and merge into a meaningful whole – an immersive experience, reminiscent of a gallery tour, connecting with the culturally aware target group and accompanying them on their personal journey. Each one of the objects displayed here was curated like a work of art and unfolds its full effect in the 700-square metre space.

The conceptual approach behind the design was to treat the showroom as a white canvas – in which different zones are distinguished by their different textures and colour accents. The combination of a carefully considered colour dramaturgy with exquisite, iconic exhibits and sculptural furniture gives the sales centre a poetic, museum-like atmosphere. The customer journey is tailored to the culture and design-loving target group, guiding customers from the reception area into the brand area, where they can immerse themselves fully in the world of Sunac via multimedia. The project can be studied via a large-scale architectural model positioned in the centre of the room, while relevant background information can be accessed on floor-to-ceiling screens. A proliferation of plant life is visible behind ripple-effect glass , thus drawing the green lung of the West Bund district into the interior space. The colour green is also used in the lounge, which is intended for informal exchanges: Not an organic green in this case, but clear-cut shapes that serve to establish a soft atmosphere. Last but not least, the customer journey leads interested parties to the VIP area for completion of contracts. Its oval, home-like conference rooms are located behind a faceted shell and are illuminated from above by a daylight-quality illuminated ceiling.