Silver A' Design Award Winner 2025
Beijing Topace Architecture Design Ltd.'s Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center emerges as a compelling exemplar of contemporary hospitality architecture, wherein the studio demonstrates sophisticated command of spatial sequencing, material choreography, and atmospheric calibration. The design positions itself within evolving traditions of experiential retail and community-oriented commercial environments, spaces conceived to foster contemplation, connection, and sensory delight rather than mere transaction. The double-height atrium volume achieves notable success in balancing monumentality with intimacy, deploying the stepped terrazzo platform and varied seating arrangements to create zones of human-scaled comfort within the generous architectural envelope. Particularly accomplished is the chromatic strategy, where the predominantly neutral palette of honed stone, natural timber, and pale terrazzo establishes visual quietude against which strategic color interventions—the terracotta seating clusters, the vermillion linear benches, and most dramatically the amber-gold glass block installation—register with heightened presence. The glass block wall merits special attention as both functional light-filtering element and luminous artwork, its warm chromatic glow suggesting stained glass traditions while maintaining thoroughly contemporary expression. The biophilic integration demonstrates thoughtful consideration of psychological wellbeing, with the substantial indoor tree and accompanying plantings introducing organic geometry and living presence into the architectural composition. Through extensive glazing, the design establishes profound dialogue with exterior conditions, capturing the transient beauty of sunset skies as integral to the interior experience. One might consider how this work invites reflection on architecture's capacity to orchestrate mood, facilitate community, and celebrate the poetry of natural light transformed through considered spatial design.
By integrating immersive experiences with local culture, Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center evolves from a traditional sales space into a hybrid urban lifestyle hub that balances functionality and aesthetics. Its open, multifunctional design transcends the limitations of traditional sales centers, enriched with diverse cultural elements and amenities to cater to young families who value both socializing and quality of life. Beyond propelling neighborhood development, it establishes an innovative urban culture model for Zhanjiang.