Sense of Illusion

CLOU architects was commissioned by Vanke to design the fourth-floor atrium of the newly opened Future City Mall in Qingdao.

Fact File
Project Name: Qingdao Vanke Future City
Designer: CLOU architects
Client: Vanke
Scope: L4 atrium interior
Program: Retail
Location: Qingdao, China
Size: 2,283 sqm
Status: Completed in 2022
Photography: Zhu Runzi

Located in Qingdao’s northern district, Vanke Future City is a brand-new shopping and leisure destination, offering aesthetics, creativity, social experiences, and bringing fresh vitality to Qingdao’s old town and its surroundings. 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.

Consumers today value comfort and cherish nature, outdoors, wellness, and social interaction in commercial and public spaces. This led to the concept of an immersive jungle garden. Drawing inspiration from the paintings of Henri Rousseau, CLOU created a vibrant, experientially unique jungle garden.

In the atrium’s central space, the firm chose a two-storey red cube structure as the focal point, surrounded by plants and water bodies. Vibrant colours, light, and shade invoke an imaginative and dreamlike atmosphere. The bright red primary colour creates a striking visual impression to quickly grab people’s attention, and a dazzling contrast between the colourful subject, detailed background, and a pleasing sense of illusion.

A circular bridge on the first floor connects the central cube to its surrounding areas with varying staircases. Tropical greenery, seating, water features, and staircases enhance the walking experience and entice visitors to linger and explore. A variety of paths and steps create fun and interactive spaces. The entire atrium serves as a public space for the local community to relax and enjoy 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.