intersected white walls form geometric retail center by aoe in china

aoe builds a new landmark for hainan, china

within a newly developed area in hainan, china, aoe architects has built the haikou international duty-free reception center which serves as not only a characteristic retail complex, but also as a modern art gallery. using deconstructionist techniques to dismantle and reorganize imposing building walls, the structure takes shape as a ‘spiritual fortress’ as well as an artistic sculptural element. after completion, the building is expected to present itself as a new landmark to the area, and to help the city become an international tourism and consumption center.

all images by UK studio photography

a thick wall emerging as a white canvas

aoe architects decided to structure the haikou international duty-free reception center with thick walls in order to emphasize its presence and to generate a strong architectural symbol. at the same time, windows and platforms are inserted into the walls, opening the covered building towards the city, and establishing it as a public event space. what’s more, the addition of circular elements highlights the geometrical sense of the structure even more. the curved wall is displayed at the opening of the outer wall, and different materials are used to form a visual focus on the facade. the interior is also interspersed with blocks of different shapes, generating a rich and varied space.

considering the city’s climate —which is characterized by warm and comfortable temperatures and sufficient sunshine — the team chose white as the main color for the facade to make the building brighter and more visually refreshing. the large area of the white wall presents itself as a pure canvas, while shadows take the role of the dark ink. the elevation is composed of horizontal-grained panels, and titanium-zinc panels are used as embellishments on the protruding and curved walls of the building. the white of the cross-grained board and the gray of the titanium-zinc boards collide with each other, forming a strong contrast.

functionally divided into a marketing area and an investment area

the haikou international duty-free center takes shape as a comprehensive complex integrating tax-free shopping malls, star-rated hotels, high-end offices, supporting residential buildings, and large-scale commerce facilities. the project is functionally divided into two major areas — the marketing area and the investment promotion area. in order to achieve the relative independence of the two functional zones and the integrity of the building, aoe arranged the volume in an L shape. the marketing area is arranged along the main road and is more open. the negotiation area on the first floor uses a large area of glass, the space is bright and transparent and the interior scene is shown to the pedestrians. the good accessibility allows pedestrians to easily participate in the activities inside the building.

compared with the marketing area, the overall investment zone is relatively closed to ensure the privacy of visitors. the function of the investment promotion part is developed along the city’s secondary arterial road. on the side of the street interface, the real wall is used to isolate the noise and the view opens on the side facing the inner courtyard. visitors enter the interior of the building through a cylinder of titanium-zinc plates. a terrace is set on the second floor to enjoy the view of the inner courtyard.