On the morning of 25th September, COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou), a project Benoy has been designing and crafting for the last three years, was officially unveiled at a grand opening ceremony. Leaders from Xiangcheng District, Suzhou and COFCO attended the event. Benoy Director, Pang Qin, Senior Associate Director Zhang Liang, Associate Director Shi Bo, and members of the project design team were invited to represent Benoy and witness this important moment. The official opening of COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou) also marks the completion of Benoy’s first flagship project for the brand-new Joy Breeze product line, a subsidiary of Grandjoy Holdings Group.
COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou) is Grandjoy Holdings’s first commercial project to be built in southern Jiangsu, and the company’s first step to establishing themselves in the region. The project is located in Xiangcheng District, the new centre of Suzhou, and is intended to become a commercial landmark with significant brand appeal.
Site photo: one week before opening . Joy Breeze is a brand-new upgraded product line built by Grandjoy Holdings following the Joy City model. In line with the brand’s positioning as “cozy, fashionable, relaxing and stylish”, it targets the urban middle classes, specifically young (25−45) and older middle class residents in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. In terms of stores, COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou) has attracted nearly 400 domestic and foreign premium brands, more than 40% of which are first stores or flagship stores, and over 50% of which are lifestyle brands aimed at middle-class shoppers.
COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou) is situated at Longdaobang Station at the end of Line 4, just to the north of the Middle Ring Expressway. It has a total area of 330,000 square metres and will provide 3,000 parking spaces. Next to Suzhou’s 21.7 square-kilometre central park and only tertiary maternity and child health hospital, it brings together the city’s best resources to create a place for the urban middle classes.
Site photo: one week before opening. The team at Benoy have been fortunate to witness the development of COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou), providing architectural services from the initial planning stage right through to completion.
The design concept drew on ‘spring breeze’ as a source of inspiration, as well as a quote from Confucius’ Analects: “Dressed in spring clothes in the late spring. Together with five or six adults and six or seven children, we swam in the Yi River, got some fresh air in the hills, and sang songs on our way back.”
The design integrates the vitality, air and colours of spring into the plan, while also incorporating aspects of Suzhou’s local history. In this way, we have worked with COFCO to build something that has unique appeal, creating a premium shopping and leisure environment.
Benoy’s Director and Head of the Shanghai Office, Pang Qin, who worked as the Principal Project Designer, said: “During tender, we focused on adding value to the experience of wandering around the complex. We broke up the simple, traditional pattern of a big box with thoroughfares side by side, putting more emphasis on transitional spaces. Enabling fluid movement between indoors and outdoors, we focused on creating different scenes that all intertwine with one another. The final space you see today and its popularity are testament to the success of our vision. I’d like to thank the owners and the team. And I wish the Suzhou team every success – here’s to many years of collaboration! ”
The design plan takes into account customers’ needs for relaxation, fashion, comfort and quality, as well as convenience and quality of life. Built on an architectural model of ‘park + neighbourhood + box’, it includes retail, dining, lifestyle, services, leisure, entertainment, social and family-oriented spaces. It is committed to creating a centre where nature, culture and commerce blend together.
Benoy is honoured to have worked alongside Grandjoy. Thank you for your appreciation and trust during the course of the project, and congratulations again on the successful opening of COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou).
