In 2017, Benoy was commissioned to lead the overall planning for the eight plots of Wenzhou’s Central Green Axis. Seizing on this opportunity, the company provided architectural and interior design services for plots D29 and D31, namely the INCITY MEGA project, winning a major international competition in the process. After four years of hard work, the greatly anticipated grand opening took place recently. Wenzhou government leaders and SCPG Group executives attended the ceremony, along with Pang Qin, Director & Head of the Benoy Shanghai Studio and the project’s chief designer, and representatives of the architectural and interior design teams.
The MEGA commercial complex, with a volume of over 250,000 square metres, represents the pinnacle of SCPG’s ‘INCITY’ series of commercial real estate brands. From start to finish, the Benoy and SCPG teams worked together, turning possibility into reality to create this urban masterwork.
Under the weight of public expectation, Wenzhou INCITY MEGA performs the important task of upgrading the cultural and entertainment offering of southern Zhejiang. It not only brings refreshing new cultural landmarks and sights, but also gathers SCPG’s ‘top-level’ brand portfolio. Further, with help from Marvel superhero Spider-Man, the project lives up to its ‘MEGA’ billing in the true sense of ‘Spirit, Concept, Content, Form’. Indeed, the project uses the latest-generation naked-eye 3D screens inside and outside the shopping mall. These innovations allow customers to get close to Spider-Man and Cosmic-Man and enjoy first-hand the novelty and pleasure of futuristic technology in this immersive shopping experience.
Wenzhou INCITY MEGA introduces a high-quality brand portfolio that includes affordable luxury, fashion brands, sports and other categories. More than 320 stores have moved in, of which over 180 are first stores, accounting for 60% of the total occupancy. The overall brand presence covers mainstream business formats such as high-tech, retail, catering, social networking, family, entertainment and education. As the new calling card of Wenzhou city centre, the project is committed to building an international urban hub on the Green Axis. It aims to create a multi-faceted meeting place that simultaneously acts as a life experience zone, social business platform, urban family paradise, arts and humanities centre and more, giving the world a whole new impression of Wenzhou.
The entire Wenzhou INCITY MEGA project is divided into a shopping mall and commercial streets, all located on the east side of the Central Green Axis. The shopping mall has a square shape and features a 24-hour waterfront promenade block and high-quality landscape offices, which spread along the Green Axis park. The orange-red landscape steps are intertwined like ribbons, connecting the blocks and shopping mall naturally. Designed in a freehand style, these elements complement each other against the central oasis on the other side.
The appeal of ‘complex and innovative functions’ in the design, and the emphasis on public urban space, are the main focus points of the entire project. Its overall design ethos is to create a structure that can extend into the outdoor public realm. This is true not only for the ground floor, but for the interaction between the ground, second and third floors, where the project is interconnected and forms a three-dimensional urban space. In this way, the new urban expression of the city is clarified and physicalised, differentiating it from other urban spaces.
The design language and context of the building are continued in the conception of the interior design, especially in the shopping mall. The interior design is also intended to break up the original square atrium. Within certain structural limits, the use of combing and arcing in the high-rise area creates a contrast between the curved atrium space on the upper floor and the square atrium space on the lower floor. This enables people in these spaces to enjoy two different spatial experiences at the same time, enhancing the sense of freedom and fun.
This year, many blockbuster projects have opened across the country. Wenzhou INCITY MEGA is definitely regarded as one of the most powerful of these projects, making a major contribution to urban redevelopment. And today, another period of accelerated development begins. From around the world, successful Wenzhou merchants are returning to their hometown, with the intention of giving something back to their native land. It is hoped they can find resonance in Wenzhou INCITY MEGA.
The project’s chief designer Pang Qin said at the opening ceremony: “The natural environment of Wenzhou, which is ‘seven parts mountain, two parts river and one part farmland’, has resulted in its people becoming good entrepreneurs and doing business around the world. Compared with the brilliance of Wenzhou merchants, their homeland Wenzhou has a mediocre track record when it comes to modernisation. Even compared to surrounding cities with similar energy levels, it pales in comparison. It has become a top priority to improve the spatial quality of the city so that it meets the international needs of the new era. During the design process, we collaborated closely with the property owner’s team, working side by side. Today, after nearly four years of effort, it is finally open for business! Congratulations to the owners! Congratulations to the team! ”
Benoy is very honoured to have cooperated with SCPG to transform Wenzhou INCITY MEGA into a reality. It is hoped the project will create an international hub of urban life on the Green Axis for those Wenzhou consumers who have an international consumer vision and strong spending power; a hub that will reshape the city’s business landscape. We would like to take this opportunity to wish SCPG and the other project partners the best of luck with the opening of their businesses.
