What did they do right? They are all open commercial blocks. Is it a coincidence? Latest hot style

In recent years, commercial buildings that occupy a large area, have an open block format, and are composed of rows of low-rise shops with a height of no more than 3 floors have frequently become Internet celebrities.

For example, the memory of the eastern suburbs of Chengdu was rebuilt in just two years, but it has already attracted the trendy young people of "Generation Z" from all over the country.

Different from "box commercial buildings", "block commercial buildings" are naturally "visitable" due to their open outdoor atmosphere and life atmosphere. And most of them have historical origins, some were transformed from industrial remains, and some were born out of Jiangnan water towns.

As large-scale, urban passive space renewal projects, what did these successful cases do right?

To the east of the Huangpu River, at No. 535 Jinqiao Road, there are a group of century-old factories. In 1869, this was the Pudong factory of the old customs. In 1928, the Shanghai Navigation Instrument General Factory took root here.

Now, after the renovation, these factories have become a hot spot for Internet celebrities to check in - EKA·Tianwu. Some media summarized its characteristics: about 30 buildings of different styles form an open-air architectural art museum that is free and easy to visit.

More than three years ago, Chen Guoshan, chairman of Jiayun Investment and producer of Tianwu brand, learned that this factory was for rent and came to inspect it.

When he first walked into this industrial park, the houses were already dilapidated and some roofs were close to collapse, but he was still deeply shocked: "I didn't expect that there is such a large space beside the Huangpu River and at the foot of Central, and there are ancient trees. "Previously, Tianwu had two projects in Pudong, but the space was small and there was not much room for development. This time he rented all the factories in the first and second phases at once, "The space is great, I am very happy. cherish".

It is located at the foot of Central, but the surrounding area lacks an artistic neighborhood atmosphere. Tianwu must build a destination-type business. Only the aroma of wine can keep you from being afraid of the depth of the alley, but how can wine be aromatic?

Chen Guoshan, who is a craftsman, likes to explore architecture from all over the world. He plans to feature the architectural complex and its space.

Jiayun invites star architects, with Jiang Huajian, the founder of Benzhe Architecture, serving as the chief planner and chief architect. WutopiaLab founder Yu Ting presided over the completion of the architectural design of two sets of works.

More than 30 buildings have been updated one after another. Each one has its own beauty, and no one is the same. From appearance, color, material, shape to interior decoration, the styles cover ancient and modern times, Chinese and foreign, but they are not directly adopted, but innovatively integrate art and contemporary elements. , the design is quite interesting.

There are even teachers majoring in architecture from colleges and universities who regularly take students here to take classes. Some people describe it as if there is a real-life exhibition of buildings that can be read in the park. The scenery changes as you move around, and there are always surprises.

Yu Ting transformed the carport of the old factory building into a "copper castle". Inspired by the metal texture of navigation machinery, the steel structure keel is attached with a metal plate outer covering to create an all-metal small art museum.

It is located on the waterfront of the central square, like a submarine emerging from the water. This work has been featured on the covers of world-renowned magazines and websites many times.

Immediately afterwards, Yu Ting renovated the building next to the chimney of the original navigation instrument factory in the park. Its facade was blue like fish scales, which contrasted in height and tone with the white of the adjacent buildings, and named it Qingqiu White Cliff.

There is an endless stream of brands applying to hold temporary exhibitions and pop-up events in Qingqiu Baiya.

The 445-building "half-warehouse" was designed by Jiang Huajian and basically retains the old architectural form of the factory. It is based on simplicity and dark gray, and has both an interactive communication area and a quiet meditation area.

Other buildings also have their own characteristics. For example, there is a red brick building, which is built using ancient methods using clay bricks that are several times more expensive than ordinary red bricks, and the masonry costs are equally high.

There is a building that resembles the style of a British train station. It has an all-black and all-white metal structure with red interior decorations. The color is bold and avant-garde. It took several plans to overturn and then came to its current appearance.

There is an all-white European-style building. The design team originally used black marble to pave the courtyard. However, Chen Guoshan believed that this would drown out the characteristics of the white building. In the end, hundreds of square meters of white marble were purchased to highlight the white texture. The effect was good and the investment was high.

In fact, if you look carefully, you will find that every detail of the park is designed. For example, square floor tiles do not have common thin seams. The curvature of the lines and the width of the seams are quite particular.

For example, metal street lamps are specially customized from iron processing factories and cannot be purchased on the market.

For example, the curved bricks for ground roads cannot be found in similar shapes in China and must be imported from Italy. During the construction, Chen Guoshan also deliberately photographed a certain ground in Florence as a construction standard.

In addition, there are white guide signs, square seats of different styles, trash cans that look like retro mailboxes, etc.

The beauty of architectural space is only the first step. How to be closely related to modern people's lives and attract people to hang out will test the wisdom of operations.

Located in the center of the waterfront of the square, Lambach has been a popular spot for internet celebrities to check in since its opening. This branch is the brand's best-performing branch. The architectural environment gives the restaurant a unique atmosphere. The restaurant faces the Bronze Fort across the water, and the outdoor seats are lined up along the Internet-famous waterfront. The bright yellow parasols complement the red brick building and are reflected in the water, making it eye-catching.

The catering brand Yi Chi Garden is located deep in the park and occupies an entire small building. The building was formerly the location of the greening team of the old factory. It has now been transformed into an arched building made of red bricks, red steel and glass.

There is a Thai food brand that uses the facade of the building to turn the space into a glass palace. There are also coffee brands that use large transparent glass as a store attraction.

Chen Guoshan gave an example. There was once a store that did not match the tone of the architectural space. It actively requested to settle in a certain location many times, but was rejected every time. "I advised the other party to change the location. Except for this building, any other location is fine." In other words, he has a kind of persistence that would rather be lacking than excessive: looking for matching brands according to the tonality of different spaces.

Xiao Wen, a post-90s generation, came across the beautiful pictures of EKA Tianwu on the Internet. He was slightly moved and set off to go there.

The steel-frame gate, industrial factory building, and entrance corridor seemed plain, until you walked into the central square, and you were greeted by the copper castle and the pool. "The feeling came," Xiao Wen said. In fact, this is where the largest number of people gather.

"I have visited many commercial districts. For the sake of overall beauty, the styles are generally unified. Some are Jiangnan water towns, and some are European towns. But here, the scenery changes as you move around, and every building changes its style. Some are all glass, some are stainless steel. There is a big bronze door, and I don’t know what else I will see if I go forward. The unknown is very attractive to me,” Xiaowen said.

Some buildings are under renovation, and the stores are not very full, but the brands are relatively exquisite, and some brand articles have not been seen in other shopping malls. For example, there is a perfume collection store. In the large open room, each area has enough space for different brands to present different styles. There are designer brands from New York and national fashion brands. Xiaowen bought a Chinese-style fragrance, and its design was inspired by "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". This counter is decorated like a Chinese medicine cabinet, which looks interesting.

There is a shop in the park that sells ice cream very well, and almost every young person on the street has one. The clerk said that they have chain stores in Shanghai, but the turnover here is higher than other chain stores.

As expected, there were particularly many young people checking out the building's facade. "The park is indeed easier to visit than an indoor shopping mall, but I hope there are more places to shop. For example, whether these architectural elements can be designed into cultural and creative products. After all, many people come from afar and want to take some souvenirs with them." Xiaowen suggested.

Some insiders describe that EKA·Tianwu should be positioned as the "Wutong District" of Pudong, and will become the source of brand shows, cultural resorts, and lifestyles in the future.

Park business with updated factory buildings needs a sense of vitality and innovation in a living atmosphere. This is the heart of a neighborhood business park that you can never tire of.

Panlong Tiandi, located in Qingpu, Shanghai, is an urban micro-resort destination integrating business, residences, hotels, and green spaces. Since its opening, the popularity has not diminished. It was a Monday during the working day when the reporter interviewed, and there were still people coming and going in the park.

Before the renovation, this place was Panlong Town, one of the first 32 scenic spots in Shanghai. Its history can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. But in the 1980s and 1990s, this was an urban village, dilapidated, and the prosperous streets in the past were long gone.

When the Ruian Group started building the project, it did not rush into design. Instead, after researching the history, it first published a book called "Panlong's New Chronicles". The historical features of the ancient town, festival customs, commercial forms, cultural stories, etc., and even the changes in the river course have all found historical basis.

The overall planning of the project took nearly 10 years. According to textual research, the original Panlong Town was in the form of a cross street, with 10 bridges over a river. So far, there are two ancient bridges left, so the planning introduced scenario design. With the remaining ancient bridge Xianghua Bridge as the center, the commercial layout of the cross street was designed, and 8 new bridges were built to reproduce the original layout and style as much as possible.

Restoring the once poetic Jiangnan requires hardware investment. It is worth mentioning that starting in 2019, the Panlongtiandi project began to regulate the river. "To build an ancient town commercial complex with historical features, the river and its ecosystem are the top priority." said Huang Min, deputy general manager of the Panlong Tiandi project.

The project is positioned as an urban micro-vacation, suitable for Yangtze River Delta residents to relax on weekends and spend a pleasant day here. According to this purpose, commercial stores alone are not attractive enough.

What do modern urbanites need for a micro vacation? Sunlight, air, nature, movement. Therefore, of the nearly 500,000 square meters of the project, 230,000 square meters are green space, with more than 6,000 newly planted trees, a 3-kilometer circular trail and nearly 10,000 square meters of outdoor sports space planned.

Compared with ordinary commercial buildings, the 230,000 square meters of green space can do much more. For example, when it comes to camping, Panlong World has introduced a brand that specializes in camping lifestyle. The brand’s previous stores did not have permanent camps. Its target customer base matched that of Panlong Tiandi. In the end, both parties jointly explored the model of selling camping equipment, camping catering and setting up permanent campsites.

In order to create parent-child education on nature study, Panlong World did the opposite: it looked for nature education brands in the market, but couldn't find a suitable one, so it chose an online team, introduced it to the park, and incubated it into an offline physical store.

There is also an equestrian arena and a skatepark, all of which are brand scenes and spaces co-created by both parties. The introduced skateboard shop also has branches in Xintiandi, but there is no experience store in the green space. Now, the entire process from buying a skateboard, repairing a skateboard, and learning to skateboard on site, from consumption to experience, can be realized at Panlong World.

In recent years, more and more people like to be outdoors and get close to nature. Huang Min said that it is based on this concept that they want to create a lifestyle of "there is heaven and earth".

“We don’t think that the Panlongtiandi neighborhood is purely commercial. It is also a public space in people’s lives.”

There is no obvious dividing line between Panlong Tiandi and the surrounding residential areas, making it difficult to distinguish them from each other.

Residents come to Panlong Tiandi while shopping, and tourists are already walking on the municipal streets while shopping. Here, even if they are not consuming, friends can sit on the porch and chat. This is part of life.

"We adopt the form of business co-creation instead of blanket rent collection." Huang Min said that if the blanket rent is collected, the brand will probably no longer innovate. What other branches do, the branch here can just copy it. At present, Panlong World communicates one-on-one with each merchant in detail and adopts diversified and personalized co-creation methods.

The New Year Cake on Cross Old Street was originally operated in another ancient town for more than ten years and is a time-honored brand.

When Panlong Tiandi introduced Nianzhigao, it also designed a store for it. From the transparent display window for pastry production to the flow of people in the store, everything is available. Nianzhigao only needs to be "packed and checked in". Panlong World hopes that Jiangnan’s rice cakes will be presented in a modern way. Just like the international brands such as Blue Bottle on this street, they have turned the space into a Jiangnan water town.

Let international brands get closer to Chinese traditional aesthetics, and make local brands more modern and international. The two are close to each other, placed on the same street, and intertextualize each other, presenting an interesting scene.

In addition, the Yuz Museum, hotels, children's fun centers, etc. are well-proportioned with Crosswater Street, a mixture of old and new. In such an open block, even though there are many common brands such as Starbucks, Heytea, and Haagen-Dazs in the shops along the street, people do not come purely to buy these things. Instead, they become supporting services for people to come here for a micro vacation.

Today, Panlong Tiandi has been operating for a full year. Data shows that the average daily passenger flow is more than 70,000, and visitors from Shanghai account for more than 77%, which is in line with the expected goal.

"As an urban micro-vacation project, we hope that this place can be integrated into daily life, rather than a one-time check-in place. Friends get together, families take vacations, and they come here often," Huang Min said.

Open block businesses are not only popular in Shanghai.

The memory of the eastern suburbs of Chengdu was also an old factory building, and it is now popular all over the country. During the Spring Festival of 2024, more than 700,000 people visited Eastern Suburb Memory, a year-on-year increase of more than 300%, ranking among the top three A-level scenic spots in Chengdu. In the two days before the May Day holiday that just passed, the total passenger flow of Dongjiao Memory exceeded 190,000. Among them, the single-day passenger flow exceeded 100,000 on May 2.

What did Eastern Suburbs Memory do right? Are there any commonalities we can learn from?

This place was originally the state-owned Chengdu Hongguang Electronic Tube Factory, which was transformed by Chengdu Media Group in 2009. During the renovation, a mobile wireless music base was introduced to turn the place into a music park. However, as mobile music services such as ringback tones gradually faded away, the park lost its appeal and began to decline again.

In 2021, Chengdu Media Group introduced a new operator, Chengdu Oriental Zhenghuo Culture Media Co., Ltd., through public bidding, handing over the operating rights to private enterprises. Dongfang Zhenghuo invested a lot of money in hardware and software construction and comprehensively adjusted its operating ideas.

In less than two years, Eastern Suburbs Memories quickly became popular. As a "sample", while it became popular, in 2023, the park also received about 15,000 inspections and surveys.

Pure street shops and commodity transactions are unattractive. Eastern Suburb Memory covers an area of ​​282 acres. It uses culture as its attraction and starting point.

The headquarters of Jiangxing Entertainment, which cultivates artists, rented an entire factory here. Posters and banners of some hip-hop music artists are hung on the exterior walls of the building, which are very eye-catching. In the evening, at the entrance of the factory, young people lined up in a long line waiting to issue tickets.

Wansheng Music, a large-scale digital music service platform for Android, has settled in Dongjiao Memory. iFlytek Music, a subsidiary of iFlytek, also leased 1,500 square meters of space in Eastern Suburb Memory. The entry of these companies will drive the entire music industry chain, the musicians in the chain, and their circle of friends.

For example, on the second and third floors of a factory building, there are various recording studios, advertising companies, streaming media studios, etc., and only the bottom floor is a store.

There is also a factory building with dressing rooms, actors' lounges, art course training classrooms, etc. on the upper floors.

The original performing arts center in the park has not only been retained, Dongfang Zhenghuo has also increased investment in hardware and updated audio and other equipment to the top level. In addition, it also provides supporting services and has all relevant certificates and licenses for concerts and other performances. Come and rent a music performance venue The team can directly "package and perform".

Nowadays, many performances that are a little bigger than LiveHouse but cannot reach the size of a stadium are first placed in the Eastern Suburbs Memory. Young people who love trendy music will immediately think of memories of the eastern suburbs.

Because of the music and art atmosphere here, some music companies and cultural industry companies have come here one after another.

For example, Beijing's Fanxing Theater Village specializes in drama performances. It has four venues in the eastern suburbs of Memory. Some perform children's plays, some perform original plays, and there are also specialized cultural and creative shops.

There are more than 30 music performing arts carrier spaces in the park, such as CGT48 Star Dream Theater, Music Maker Space, etc., which have held nearly 2,000 events in the past three years.

The cultural performance information updated every week is hung on the outer wall of the factory in the form of a huge 2-story poster.

Visitors visiting the Eastern Suburbs can experience Chengdu’s music, creativity and fashion culture in addition to the scenery provided by the industrial plants.

In such a performance atmosphere, some people tried to open trendy brand stores in the eastern suburbs. As a result, many first stores in southwest China, Chengdu, and even the country were born.

Currently, there are nearly 300 stores in Eastern Suburb Memory, most of which will be introduced in 2023. Their business formats include national fashion, fast fashion, music, exhibitions, theater, coffee, food, etc.

In the atmosphere of popular culture, Guochao has become the highlight of the park's business. As of now, there are more than 30 trendy fashion stores in Dongjiao Memory, some of which have gone international. In addition, there are many local rappers and the city’s nighttime economy is prosperous. Compared with other Internet celebrity attractions, Eastern Suburbs Memory highlights the style of trend culture.

"Our target customers are Generation Z." said the person in charge of Dongfang Zhenghuo. And indeed it is. Walking in the Dongjiao Memory Park, as far as the eye can see, there are young men and women dressed in fashionable clothes.

In the reporter’s observation, Eastern Suburb Memory integrates an industrial park, a cultural performance space, and a business park.

What exactly is Open Block Business doing right? It has found a new path that suits local culture.