CHINA
Cofco Joy Breeze
Benoy has recently announced that the design firm has won the international competition for the Cofco Joy Breeze project in Suzhou in East China.
The scheme will be located in the center of Suzhou’s Xiangcheng district, a busy, central yet residential area where the entrance to the city’s planned future central park is located. Spanning a total GFA of 300,000 sq m, the mixed-use project brings together a retail mall, retail streets, a public transport hub, and parking facilities.
Subsequently, Benoy’s design is that of a retail, recreation, and entertainment hub that emphasizes its diversified offer through the variety of its spaces. The scheme is instantly recognizable for its network of balconies, rooftops, public squares, retail streets, and boxes.
The various sections are linked by a multi-level thoroughfare that runs through each floor and ensures the scheme can be navigated as a whole. Through the openness of its design, the multiple entry points, and extensive street frontage, the Joy Breeze development also integrates into its surrounding urban and natural environments as well as the nearby residential areas.
As a transport hub, the project is located close to Metro Line 4’s Longdaobang Station and includes a bus station terminal on site. The development is due to start construction in 2019.
USA
The 78
Related Midwest has announced its plan for The 78, the 62-acre undeveloped parcel of land bordered by Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, 16th Street, and the Chicago River, which will be the largest development of its kind in Chicago’s history.
The 78 will be a mixed-use development that will include residences, retail and restaurants, cultural institutions, and office space designed to attract industry-leading companies and organizations.
Chicago currently has 77 neighborhoods, and this will be The 78th. The master plan is designed to emphasize the site’s greatest asset, the Chicago River, with more than a half-mile of continuous riverfront that will connect downtown to Chinatown and continue the momentum occurring today on the Chicago River.
Cafes, promenades, bikeways, substantial landscaping, and cultural amenities will line the riverfront and make it a gathering place for the public. Construction on the Wells-Wentworth Connector continued this summer, and other infrastructure elements are planned to begin in 2019.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai Square
Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties have announced the launch of Dubai Square, a new retail metropolis that pushes the boundaries of modern retail and leisure in Dubai Creek Harbour by drawing on next-generation technology.
Blurring the boundaries of online and in-mall shopping, integrating indoor and outdoor, and delivering a social experience like none other, the all-new Dubai Square is designed for the new era of customers, digital, connected, and tech-savvy, and setting a benchmark for retail experiences in the 21st century.
Situated in the heart of Dubai Creek Harbour, the 6-square-kilometer mega-development is only 10 minutes from the Dubai International Airport and the iconic Burj Khalifa, and it is located by the historic Dubai Creek. Dubai Square – in its totality – represents a 2.6-million sq m retail, hospitality, and residential district for the future.
With over 7.3 million sq m of residential space, nearly 940,000 sq m of retail precincts, 300,000 sq m of commercial space, over 66,000 sq m of cultural space, 700,000 sq m of parks and open spaces, and 24 hotels with 5,800 rooms, Dubai Creek Harbour will serve as a strong economic catalyst for the Emirate.
CHINA
MixC
MixC in Buji – which, in turn, is located in the southern Chinese province of Shenzhen – has officially opened its doors.
This 120,000 sq m GLA shopping center is the first large-scale commercial complex in the city. It served 180,000 people on its first day, with 98% of shops opened. This development includes 300 retail, leisure, and F&B names across five floors, aimed at attracting shoppers from a wide demographic range.
Chapman Taylor’s interior design responded to the site’s context, creating bespoke themes for each part of the mall – family, fashion, entertainment, and life. The project involved refreshing and updating the 10-year-old MixC brand for this new retail and leisure center, making it more colorful and more attractive to a social media-savvy generation.
The developer of the complex is China Resources Ltd. Its MixC brand creates shopping destinations to cater to China’s new middle class, using data-driven design to provide the optimum full day out experience for visitors.
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