Shopping centres don t have to bright, white and shiny according to AIM Architecture, which has transformed the Xintiandi mall in Shanghai by adding natural materials and plants.
The previously underused atrium has been reimagined in the spirit of a garden plaza, with wooden surfaces, plants hanging down from the balconies and natural light filtering in from above.
A wooden trellis structure now frames the atrium
Architect Wendy Saunders, co-principal of AIM Architecture, said the aim was to bring nature into a type of space that is typically very sterile. The sheer scale and amount of shopping malls in Asia can be overwhelming, she told Dezeen. Materials are usually very bright, white and shiny, and lack any natural feeling or environment.