Project

On September 30, 2021, a new jewelry zone was opened on the 2nd floor of Xidan Joy City (Da Yue City), located in the heart of North Beijing and is one of the most prominent commercial areas in the city. JOYCITY is a shopping center operated by Grand Joy throughout China, of which Xidan JOY CITY is the core store with particularly high sales and name recognition.

This time, we provided basic planning, basic design, implementation design, and design supervision for a brand editorial theme zone with jewelry brands targeting mainly young people concentrated in one corner of the facility. We have dispelled the brand image of a traditional jewelry store, which tends to be avoided by younger customers due to its emphasis on luxury. A signature mix of café spaces and other spaces where people can casually drop by has been created to create a my-first space with diversity.

The keywords for the design concept were (1) Mine (mining/my) and (2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life), derived from the characteristics of jewelry. We created a space that evokes a mine shaft with a sense of “softness,” “brightness,” “cleanliness,” and “calmness,” thereby expressing a sense of unity as a zone. At the same time, we were conscious of not losing the concept and spatial expression of each brand and completed the new space with a sense of unity as a zone and the individuality of each brand.

◆Design Concept

The creation of new and unprecedented spaces and how they can be integrated with commercial facilities is the source of inspiration for this design.The design concept was to create a space that evokes a mine shaft with a sense of softness, brightness, cleanliness, and serenity, based on the keywords (1) Mine (mining/my) and (2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life), which were derived from the characteristics of jewelry.

◆Design keywords

(1) Mine (mining/my)

“Mine” means not only “mining” but also “my, exclusively my own, my family”. We wanted this space to be a familiar and warm place where visitors can find special memories for themselves, their loved ones, and their families. To this end, we have given the space a soft and elegant presentation that touches the softest part of one’s heart.

(2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life)

The special brilliance of precious metals as well as the meaning of will, vitality, mystery, and the sparkle of life that guides the future. The radiance emitted by gold jewelry is expressed this space by through the light emitted from the gaps between the clouds and the light spots.

◆Spatial Direction

Ribbons are skillfully utilized throughout the space. The winding tunnels add a ribbon-like softness that naturally leads visitors deeper into the zone. Everyone is drawn to each branching store as if to explore and discover. The light inside the stores shines through irregularly sized holes in the storefront partitions, leaking out into the aisles. The zone consists of one island store and eight retail units surrounding it. We have combined our island shop with retail and a café, designing the BrandMiX space to include a rest space where people can stop by casually. A common space near the entrance is open to everyone, creating a natural flow to the jewelry area. In addition, as an aesthetic creation, a landscape of small plants signifying hope and the future were placed to convey the effort to implement measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which is spreading worldwide, and that the coronavirus must be contained as soon as possible. Evergreen natural mosses were combined to create hills of varying heights and scattered throughout the public areas to complete a simple yet mysterious, garden-like shopping space experience space that is soothing in its quietness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■Designer Profile

Masahito Kamekawa
Design Division, Large-scale Facility Design, Senior Designer
Kamekawa has had many achievements in large commercial facilities such as department stores and shopping malls, both in Japan and overseas. He was involved in the concept design of the Hankyu Umeda Main Store rebuilding project (1F-3F) and the concept design and schematic design of the Shinsaibashi Daimaru rebuilding project (4F-5F and B1 Fashion Sundries). He was awarded the Asia Pacific Property Award 2016 for “Joy Yard” in JOYCITY, a commercial facility in Beijing, and a special award in the Architecture and Branding category of the Architizer A+ Award 2017 for the shoe department on the 2nd floor of JOYCITY. Kamekawa’s recent achievements include the concept design of Suzhou Joy Breeze and the concept design and schematic design of Beijing Joy Breeze.

■Scope of work

Concept Design、Schematic Design、Design Development、Design Supervision、Lighting Design

■Property Information

Name: Beijing Xidan Daecheng 2F Jewelry Theme Zone

Official opening: September 30, 2021

Location: No.131 Xidan North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

Store area: 1700m2 (2nd floor)

 

 

Located in Yanji City, Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, China, the high-end department store Yanji Baicao Dalou is the No. 1 department store in the region, representing the city.

Yanji Department Store launched a floor-by-floor renovation project, and GARDE provided basic planning, basic design, implementation design, design supervision, and lighting design for the 6th floor, which is the first renovated floor.

The sixth floor originally consisted of only living room-related products, but by relocating the kids’ products section, which was located on the bridge between the buildings, we targeted families and created a living room and kids’ floor that families would gravitate towards.

This time,by reimaging the floor as a large house, we came up with the design concept”Resort House–with a resort-like atmosphere where everyone can gather and adults and children alike can relax and have fun.”

Each zone has a different design concept, such as “Soft Form”, “Natural Material”, and “Sun Light”, all of which gives a sense of warmth and openness. As a result, we designed a space in which people can enjoy walking around, moving through various “rooms” while maintaining a sense of unity.Using light colors, rounded forms, and a lot of wood, we have created”enveloping gentleness,” “natural materials”, and “warmth and openness”. In both the living zone and the kids’ zone, the ceiling design is switched to create a space that feels like a relaxing and warm resort-like home.

The living room zone is designed with warm wood flooring, tiles that give a sense of nature, wood and plaster materials, and design lighting that gives a sense of airiness.

On the other hand, for the kids’ zone, we designed a pop-up space with characteristic shapes, light coloring, and a playful ceiling design, a space with the image of a courtyard, a bright and warm children’s space with pillars based on lighting motifs, warm wood with moderate partitions, and a terrace space that looks like an outdoor playground with soft lighting like sunlight. The result is a space that makes families want to gather together.

■Designer Profile

Yutaka Yamamoto
Design Division, Senior Director
Active mainly in the design and direction of large commercial facilities such as department stores, he was in charge of sales floor environment design for the Hankyu Umeda Main Store reconstruction project, overall direction for Nishinomiya Hankyu, and design of the 3rd and 4th floors for the entire Ginza Mitsukoshi store renovation. Overseas, he was in charge of the renovation of the entire DOOTA building in Seoul, the new PARKSON store in Johor Bahru, etc. In 2019, he was in charge of the design of the watch area on the 5th floor of Isetan Shinjuku, and he was the general design director of Ningbo Hankyu, which opened in 2021.

Akihisa Wakayama
Design Division, Large-scale Facility Design Department, Chief Designer
After working on the design of large-scale commercial facilities at a domestic design firm, he joined Garde in 2021.While designing mainly large commercial facilities such as department stores, he has also worked on many specialty stores. He is currently working on a wide range of projects mainly in Asia.

■Scope of work

Concept Design、Schematic Design、Design Development、Design Supervision、Lighting Design

■Property Information

Name: Yanji Department Store 6th floor (kids and living room floor)
Official opening: November 20, 2021
Location: No.608 Guangming Street, Yanji City, Jilin Province
Store area:7,567㎡ (6th floor)

Renhan Isetan is a new shopping museum in Tianjin, one of the largest cities in China, which is experiencing rapid economic growth. It consists of three commercial buildings (Building A: 7 levels / Building B: 2 levels / Building C: 7 levels), residences (on the upper floors of Building A and B) and offices (on the upper floors of Building C,). It is a large-scale complex of commercial, residential, and business facilities.The three buildings can be accessed via connecting passageways, and each building is equipped with a parking lot in the basement, making it a commercial facility with a structure that is highly convenient and easy for customers to move around.

It is also conveniently located directly connected to the Southeast Corner Station of Metro Line 2 and is expected to attract even more customers after the completion of Metro Line 4 (scheduled to open at the end of 2021). It is expected to become a new landmark in Tianjin, as it is surrounded by some of the most prestigious residential areas in Tianjin, office buildings of leading Chinese companies, and tourist spots such as the Old Culture Street in the north and the Italian Street in the east.

Building A, which held its grand opening on Thursday, September 30, covers a wide range of categories from food to lifestyle, and offers a wide variety of Japanese content and products that are popular in China. Based on the concept of “Shopping Museum – Value Up Your Moment”, it is a space that provides a valuable time for all customers, a space that helps to enrich their lives, and a new shopping experience that will remain in their memories.

In response to the mall concept of “providing a place that hints at new lifestyles for customers,” GARDE planned and designed the floor concept of “Shopping Museum,” a space that crosses over between the elements of a high-quality and sophisticated department store and those of a shopping center that responds to diverse needs.

The store design concept was “Live Experience Museum”, and each floor was designed with a themed zone to promote the world view and reinforce specialization. For example, the cosmetics floor on the first floor features a futuristic beauty experience through the introduction of a digital experience-type store. At the same time, the curved shape of the entire floor expresses “feminine gentleness and warmth” and “a sense of the near future,” while also creating a sense of fun as one moves around the floor. The result is a space where you can always find something new, and where simply visiting here is a pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■Scope of work
Floor design for B2F, 1F, and 3F: basic planning, basic design, implementation design, supervision, construction coordination, and other FFE proposals.
B2F supermarket / B1F independent shops / 2F independent select stores / 3F independent shops (toys, shoes) / 4F VIP lounge: basic planning, basic design, implementation design, supervision, construction coordination Other FFE proposals.
■Property Information
Name: Renhan Isetan
Official opening: September 30, 2021 *only Building A
Location: No. 137 and No. 139 Dongma Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, China
Store area: approx. 58,000㎡ (Building A: 2 basement floors, 5 aboveground floors)

Following the opening of Beijing Daxing JOY BREEZE in December last year, Suzhou JOY BREEZE opened on September 25, 2021.

Suzhou JOY BREEZE is a large-scale residential and commercial complex located in the rapidly developing north Suzhou area, offering a high quality and sophisticated lifestyle to rich and new generation of families in their 20’s and 30’s. It offers a variety of tenants, including domestic and foreign luxury brands, leisure, entertainment, and restaurants. The basement floor is directly connected to the subway and has a parking lot with a capacity of over 4,000 cars. As a shopping mall that plays a role in the revitalization of the area, it blends in with the rich nature of the surrounding area to form a town.

GARDE, as with Beijing Daxing, was involved in the basic planning, basic design, implementation design, supervision, and construction coordination of the interior design, and incorporated a lot of FFE furniture and green plants.

The design concept is “Connected”. Based on the “aesthetics of transcending space” found in Japanese architecture, the outside and inside are not strictly separated. Rather, by creating a space with a harmony of richness, comfort, and pleasant atmosphere, a commercial space that feels like and coexists with nature is achieved.

The sense of fluidity and dynamism in nature is expressed in the motifs of “Flowing,” “Natural,” and “Organic,” which can be considered the DNA of JOY BREEZE. The three large atriums catch the eye in the building and create a beautiful and dynamic space with delicate details based on the design theme of “flowing water”, “flowing wind”, and “pulsating earth”. By creating three different scenes, visitors will never get bored and can enjoy walking around the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scope of work
Interior design: basic planning, basic design, implementation design, supervision, construction coordination
Other FFE proposals

Property Information
Name: Suzhou JOY BREEZE
Official opening: September 25, 2021
Location: Xiangcheng District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Management floors: 6 above ground, 1 basement floor
Building area: approx. 180,000m2 (approx. 30,000m2 for indoor common areas)