The ultra-luxury integrated commercial complex, Xiamen Baolong One City, designed by the world-renowned American firm JERDE Architects, celebrated its grand opening on September 30, 2018. Senior Vice President and Senior Design Creator Ms. Tammy Mckerrow, along with Mr. Mark Liu, Managing Director of JERDE China, attended the event. As a close business partner of Baolong Real Estate, JERDE introduced its globally acclaimed “Place Making” design philosophy to China, blending it with rich Chinese cultural elements to create a remarkable synergy. Focusing on integrating urban fabric into the overall master plan, activating multiple site levels, and developing green public spaces, JERDE delivered innovative design solutions. After five years of construction, this landmark project has reshaped Xiamen’s commercial landscape, reinforcing Baolong Real Estate’s leadership in China’s commercial real estate sector.
▲ Project Location
Baolong One City spans nearly 400,000 square meters and pioneers the “six-in-one” business model, combining star-rated hotels, office towers, luxury apartments, boutique SOHO units, and art centers with a central shopping mall. It is Baolong Real Estate’s highly anticipated first ultra-luxury urban complex and marks a significant milestone in their strategy to focus on boutique, quality-driven products. From the start, both JERDE and Baolong Real Estate agreed that Baolong One City represents more than just a shopping destination. It responds to Xiamen’s economic growth and evolving Chinese consumer demands, poised to grow organically with the city. It introduces a dynamic, fashionable, and high-quality urban lifestyle to Xiamen residents, while offering green, leisurely, and artistic public spaces that have made Baolong a vibrant new city center.
▲ Aerial Rendering View
Each year, more than one billion visitors experience venues designed by JERDE. With a portfolio of award-winning urban landmarks worldwide, JERDE’s visionary “Place Creation” philosophy continues to set new standards. Mark Liu, Managing Director of JERDE China, remarked, “We are honored to collaborate with Baolong to create a new urban landmark in Xiamen. The success of Baolong One City confirms how well the ‘Place Creation’ concept aligns with the Chinese consumer market. Moving forward, JERDE will deepen partnerships with Chinese commercial real estate companies to explore new opportunities in commercial, leisure, and entertainment development.”
“Place Creation” Concept Embedded in Xiamen’s Urban Fabric
JERDE’s “Place Creation” design philosophy emphasizes crafting spaces that people genuinely love to visit. It advocates starting from people’s intrinsic needs, creating experiential environments where diverse city experiences are shared and enjoyed. JERDE employs a collaborative “co-creation” design model, uniting talents from diverse cultural backgrounds. This approach seamlessly integrates architecture, landscape, interiors, lighting, and water features to offer multi-layered spatial experiences that inspire curiosity and invite lingering exploration.
To deeply understand Xiamen’s urban character, Tammy Mckerrow visited the city multiple times. She was inspired by the bright sunshine and the relaxed pace of people strolling along the seaside, which directly influenced the design. Reflecting Xiamen’s coastal sunshine, the exterior facade features natural stone with horizontal textures, combined with steel, glass, and wood to create a shimmering effect that mirrors the city’s natural light.
JERDE developed a unique “orange red” color exclusively for Baolong City, symbolizing Xiamen’s distinctive passion and vitality. Leveraging the natural slope of the site, they created a striking entrance landscape. The Baolong logo, characterized by soft white lines on the building walls, echoes many white sculptures scattered throughout the city.
Given that Baolong One City’s site previously belonged to the Xiamen Ancient Stone Society, with abundant beige granite beneath the surface, JERDE preserved some of these natural rocks in the eastern part of the shopping center. This thoughtful approach integrates the original terrain into the design, harmoniously blending local culture with commercial development and showcasing a distinctive, innovative vision.
Transit-Oriented, Multi-Level Design Boosts Popularity and Activates Baolong One City’s Six-in-One Model
Baolong One City is developed in three phases, covering nearly 400,000 square meters with 120,000 square meters of commercial space. The first phase features a high-rise office building complemented by restaurants and bars. The second phase centers on a landmark shopping mall with rooftop commercial and entertainment spaces. The third phase includes the W Hotel, office buildings, a unique ecological restaurant, and high-rise SOHO units. JERDE expertly integrated these phases around a central landscaped core, establishing three entrances and exits strategically connected to the surrounding neighborhoods.
Located at the intersection of Jinshan Road and Lvling Road in Xiamen’s Siming District, Baolong One City is surrounded by upscale residential communities and benefits from direct access to subway lines 2 and 5, as well as a 3,000-square-meter bus hub. This prime location makes it a classic example of “transit-oriented commercial development” above a subway station. Connectivity is a crucial factor in the project’s success, and JERDE’s expertise in transportation hub planning and pedestrian flow design has created a vibrant commercial atmosphere. The multi-level layout expands retail pathways while concentrating foot traffic, with user-friendly designs encouraging visitors to explore diverse formats and amenities. At the heart of the complex, a 23-meter elevated central landscape bridge offers panoramic views of the core and Sapphire Lake. Ground-level drop-off zones and wooden pedestrian walkways provide smooth access to restaurants and shops, connecting the entire complex organically.
Along the lush landscape trails, JERDE integrated numerous outdoor seating areas, public art installations, and vibrant landmark sculptures, inviting visitors to relax, stroll, and immerse themselves in the harmonious blend of architecture and nature.
Green and Sustainable Design: Symbiosis with Urban Public Spaces
Ecological design in commercial spaces significantly enhances the quality of life for city residents. At Baolong City, elements such as nature, sky, and islands inspire the abundant greenery and outdoor gardens, introducing a new leisure park to the urban environment. The design draws inspiration from Xiamen’s diverse bridge forms, creating a continuous landscape stretching east to west. Thanks to the warm subtropical climate and scenic mountain and lake views, visitors can ascend the rooftop terrace for sweeping panoramas of Baolong City. Sustainable features include recycled materials, traditional flooring, green roofs, efficient water recycling and irrigation systems, as well as operable windows, all contributing to environmentally responsible design.
Baolong Yicheng is the first commercial complex in Xiamen to combine a shopping center with an art center. The rooftop art museum connects various retail, dining, leisure, and entertainment spaces. Beyond business hours, visitors can access the roof via the landmark tower at the East Square or the vertical elevator in the Central Water Landscape Garden, offering exciting opportunities to expand urban public space and foster community engagement.
“When designing Baolong City, my team and I often discussed that we are not just constructing a building, but creating a place with lasting vitality—one that will continue to shine through changing times and contribute to people’s happiness and joy,” said Tammy Mckerrow, Senior Vice President and Senior Design Creator at JERDE.
Xiamen Baolong City embodies these values and its successful realization represents a major contribution to JERDE’s two decades of development in China. As pioneers and leaders of the “Place Creation” concept, JERDE remains committed to the Chinese market, bringing innovation and visionary spirit to the new era. With deep expertise in commercial, leisure, and entertainment spaces, JERDE will continue collaborating closely with cities, communities, industries, and consumers to explore and lead the boundless possibilities in the future of commercial real estate development.
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