Chinese interior studio Various Associates has completed an irregular pyramid-shaped flagship store for drone brand DJI in Shenzhen, China.
Located at OCT Harbour on the shores of Shenzhen Bay, the flagship store was designed to demonstrate the Chinese drone company’s latest technology.
The 4000-square-metre store contains spaces for product display, a gallery, customer service area and an event space in four floors, in addition to a public park called DJI Oasis, which is used for drone flights.
The multi-facated facade was clad in granite with large triangular windows on the angled surfaces facing the park, which is connected to the second floor via an outdoor, zigzagging staircase.
Gentle ramps in the park lead visitors into the store, while forming a series of triangular patterns, responding to the same geometric form of the architecture.
To minimise the direct sun exposure from the glass facade, Various Associates inserted an “interior skin” of stainless steel louvres to the outer shell of the building.
The second layer forms an origami shape on the ceiling that corresponds to the outer shape.
“We hope to solve the problems of site mobility and sun exposure through a holistic program, and simplify the visual complexity of the interior walls and window sills, while retaining the original geometric aesthetics of the site architecture,” explained the Shenzhen-based studio.
“The newly added ‘interior skin’ filters the sunlight, casting unique daylight patterns throughout the day, creating a sense of outdoors.”
On the ground floor, DJI’s drone products are displayed on custom-made tables in angled shape of the brand’s classic drones’ propeller blades.
They are lit from above by lights, which are same shape, suspended from the ceiling.
The third floor of the building contains the Hasselblad Experience Station – a joint display area for DJI and Swedish camera and lenses brand Hasselblad.
The gallery-like space with a darker tone contrasts the bright and airy product section downstairs, which is used for showcasing the photography created by DJI and Hasselblad.
The building is topped with the 15-meter-high DJI Horizon Hall, which was designed as an event venue. According to the studio, the dramatic geometric space naturally draws visitors to look up upon entering, evoking the actions of watching a drone taking off.
Various Associates is an architecture and interior design studio founded by Dongzi Yang and Qianyi Lin in 2017. Elsewhere in Shenzhen, the studio previously designed a cafe and cocktail bar that emulates a small cosy cabin.
The photography is by SFAP.
Project credits:
Architect: Various Associates
Chief designers: Qianyi Lin, Dongzi Yang
Project management: Hanqun Cai
Design team: Yuwen Deng, Zebing Li, Benzhen Pan, Chao Luo, Junrui Zhang, Qian Xie, Yue Zhang
Lighting design: GD Lighting Design
MEP design: Tongji Architects
Structural design: Tongji Architects
Contractor: HECIAN
