ADMIRAL MALL

Targeted at the middle and upper-middle income market in Nanning – the capital city of Guangxi, where it is also the business and financial centre of South Western China - Admiral Mall (Hangyang Mall) is conceived as the first shopping mall of its kind in the region. This 130,000m2 shopping mall forms the podium within the 400,000m2 mixed-use development, Admiral City, which comprises 4 towers – the Marriott Hotel, a service apartment, an office apartment and an office tower.

The key challenge to this project is the resolution and reconciliation of the obstructive vertical structural elements from the towers above (further complicated by strict earthquake structural design requirements) with the optimized retail space below, while, at the same time, satisfying the fire requirements, e.g. provision of a fire-engine access through the podium at every 150M, and the 20,000M2 fire compartment requirement for basement retail spaces.

Working closely with the retail consultants (Synergistic Real Estate Network), DP Architects has transformed design constraints into design opportunities. The end product is a shopping mall comprising three different types of shopping experiences - The first is the street shopping - formed by duplex shops on the perimeter of the mall. The second type is a straightforward mall characterized by a curved, naturally lit, 200M long circulation spine, lined with mini-anchors and anchors in every flow. Along these retail routes, a series of elliptical atriums are also introduced to maximize shop frontages. The third type is formed within the 17,500 square-metre landscaped plaza in the northern region of the site, where the sporadic outdoor event spaces, freestanding F&Bs and retail kiosks generate additional retail spaces that extend activities from the internal to the external.

The development is now under-construction and is scheduled to open in end 2005.