To mark World Architecture Day and World Cities Day both celebrated in October, Benoy is proud to showcase a series of projects that capture our response to the transformation of our economies and societies. Through projects which encompass social, cultural, environmental and commercial sustainability, we demonstrate the continuing evolution of the built environment into urban spaces which are sustainable, inclusive and resilient.
Today we are featuring Seazen Suzhou Wuyue Plaza located in Suzhou, China.
Seazen Suzhou Wuyue Plaza is a retail destination owned and developed by Seazen (formally Future Land), situated at the heart of the city center surrounding the North Suzhou High Speed Railway Station. Benoy designed the interiors for the 6‑story shopping mall, executing 2 contrasting yet complementary principles for the top and lower floors.
Marco Polo proclaimed Suzhou the “Venice of the East” and was a center of business and commerce in China with its Grand Canal. Our vision was to take the famous Suzhou culture and create an authentic, contemporary reinterpretation of it, using world-class design thinking and internationally proven techniques.
Inspired by the Chinese saying, “Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou”, we created a dichotomy within the mall to generate dynamics and dialogues between the “heavenly” retail indoor street on the top floor illuminated by skylights, and the striking, contemporary retail floors below.
Gregory Kovacs, Design Director, walks us through the highlights of the project.
