The Huayuanfang project, also known as Investment Promotion 1872, is a commercial complex developed by China Merchants Shekou in the Wantou area of Ningbo. The site consists of two adjacent plots: Plot 2 on the west side and Plot 4 on the east side, which faces Xinghu Lake. A city road divides the two plots. Surrounding the site are newly built residential communities, while the southeast borders the upcoming large-scale Wanda Plaza shopping mall by China Resources Property.
△ Surrounding properties of the site
Commercial real estate development is a capital-intensive industry that demands a detailed, multi-faceted, and multi-stage operational approach to ensure quality and successful outcomes at each phase. China Merchants Shekou, a highly experienced real estate company, engaged a professional business planning firm to conduct comprehensive early-stage research. This resulted in detailed recommendations covering fund management, construction standards, business positioning and ratios, market investment, advertising strategies, and operational management models.
△ Planning overview
After fully understanding the developer’s vision, we carefully crafted creative concepts and technical layouts for the construction drawings. Throughout the planning process, we adhered to the regional urban design plan and coordinated all stakeholders’ interests. We seized opportunities within existing constraints to create a unique identity that reflects the design’s value.
At the project’s outset, we applied a planned volume layout principle, maintaining clear spatial separation between high and low-rise buildings. Lower structures were spread out widely, while taller ones were concentrated to minimize construction and operational costs. However, this conflicted with the urban design goal of a predominantly low-rise commercial center for the site. Both the urban road frontage and the eastern Xinghu Lake interface required a lower-scale approach. We resolved this by gradually transitioning taller buildings and integrating lower-rise sectors harmoniously.
△ Aerial view from the Xinghu Lake perspective
△ Aerial view from Dazha North Road
Business type and format planning is the essence of commercial real estate. Choosing the right formats depends on local market resources and existing business types, ensuring consistency and complementarity with the surrounding area to avoid competition. Given the dense residential neighborhoods and the large China Resources Wanda Plaza nearby, Plot 2 was designated as a children’s-themed area, including parent-child education, art training, retail for children’s products, and local hotel-style apartments. Plot 4 was planned for experiential retail, leisure dining, and specialty entertainment.
△ Satellite top-down view
Experiential retail requires active customer engagement and a dynamic process. The design combines indoor and outdoor elements with ample natural light, offering more than just shopping, dining, or entertainment. It addresses other physiological needs that arise throughout the experience, encouraging continuous spending and satisfying diverse desires. Therefore, the design incorporates varied spatial forms, inviting interfaces, warm environments, and engaging experiential routes.
△ East Entrance of Plot 2
△ Street view along Plot 2
△ Street view along Plot 2
While optimizing commercial space efficiency, it is crucial to provide architectural spaces for themed, participatory, and experiential activities. Interaction with outdoor plaza nodes enhances commercial promotion and creates vibrant public spaces.
△ Children’s corner in Plot 2
Enclosure creates a strong sense of place, offering a comfortable outdoor environment and rest areas where visitors feel welcomed and inclined to stay.
△ Overhead view of the children’s area
△ Ascending the stairs to the lakeside rooftop garden
The consumer circulation path is designed to be dynamic and engaging, reducing fatigue while walking through the space. It integrates the lake’s scenic views and the urban green axis, blending indoor and outdoor interfaces to activate waterfront leisure and commercial areas. This holistic approach enhances the site’s value by combining shopping, dining, entertainment, parks, and lake views into one seamless experience.
△ Southwest corner of Plot 2
△ Southwest corner of Plot 4
△ Southeast corner of Plot 2
Technical Drawings
△ General layout plan
△ First floor plan of Plot 4
△ Second floor plan of Plot 4
△ Third floor plan of Plot 4
△ First floor plan of Plot 2
△ Second floor plan of Plot 2
△ Plot 2 and Plot 4 profiles
Project Information
Project Name: Ningbo Investment Promotion 1872, Huayuanfang
Project Type: Architectural Development
Location: Jiangbei Wantou, Ningbo City
Design Studio: Hong Wei Studio
Lead Architect: Hong Wei
Design Team: Hong Wei, Wang Jia, Yan Wang Cun, He Shenyang, Zhao Dan, Wang Weiqi
Developer: China Merchants Shekou Group
Status: Completed
Design Period: 2017
Construction Period: 2020
Land Area: 32,400 square meters
Total Floor Area: 49,000 square meters above ground; 22,790 square meters underground
Construction Drawing Design: Ningbo Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Architecture Team: Hong Wei, He Shenyang, Zhao Dan
Structural Engineers: Su Qingzhu, Ma Xiaodong, Li Weifeng, Xu Jie, Zeng Yanxia, Mao Kankan
HVAC: Zhu Lifeng
Electrical Engineers: Li Nan, Zhang Xiandong, Shi Zhiyu
Water Supply and Drainage: Chen and Miao, Li Jiangbo, Zhang Lianjun
Photographer: Sun Fuen
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