On 15 August 2022, Qin Pang, Director and Head of the Benoy’s Shanghai Studio, was invited by U Design Week X RIBA to attend the 2022 U Design Week new space “Design and Commerce Sub-Forum” in Hangzhou and delivered a keynote speech.
In the context of “Conceptual Steps in Designing Commercial Spaces”, Qin Pang proposed a new integrated approach known as “Archimmercial” which derives from the combination of Architecture and Commercial.
To meet the special needs of different groups, locations and markets, different spaces need to be integrated to accommodate different commercial experiences. The speech drew on Benoy’s case studies and reflected the need for different scales of commercial space from diverse spatial dimensions, upholding the 7 most important steps for architects and designers to follow in the design process.
From the start of the design phase and through the design process, how should an architect,
These 7 steps of the architectural design process will enable the designed commercial building to meet the demands of both developers and owners while continuing to elevate the standards and customer experience of the end consumers; each of which will play a critical role in the success of commercial buildings.
In this new space “Design and Commerce Sub-Forum”, U Design Week and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) partnered to jointly host the “Ucan x RIBA New Urban Space” themed collaboration. Here, the discussion delved into an exchange of ideas and the future of design. How can the new experiences of space revitalise urban communities? How can innovative ideas create new commercial and residential spaces? How should space be used to redefine and shape people’s lifestyles?
Chief Development Officer of RIBA China, Lu Man, and Director of the British Council in East China, Gill Caldicott, delivered inaugural remarks for the “Ucan x RIBA New Urban Space” collaboration. During the event, keynote speeches were delivered by top designers, Wutopia Lab’s Yu Ting and Qi Studio’s Qi Shanshan, along with representatives of leading commercial firms, Marta Pozo from AIM and Xu Hang of Woods Bagot.
2022 U Design Week was successfully concluded on 15 August 2022. Presenting a new theme “more than just a design”, the event taps onto the strength of various industries, focuses on the extension of design value in the industry, and leverages and synergises the strength of the social innovation of design, while making the event inclusive, diverse, dynamic and accessible for everyone. 2022 U Design week was jointly funded by Alibaba Design and Tencent CDC, Douyin Design, Xiaohongshu and other organisations to give more inclusion to other industries and a broader content circle, establishing a more open, mutually beneficial ecosystem and cooperative landscape, driving the digitisation of the design industry forward while drawing on the imagination of macroeconomics.
Design is “more than just a design. It is a catalyst of trends, a source of inspiration for life, and a social enabler. The entire design week covers professional and commercial value trends, the Internet, new technologies, spatial experience, retail trends, digital intelligence, and other artistic categories. Following a successful U Design Week in August 2022, we look forward to welcoming future design exchanges now, next and beyond.
