SKP Chengdu, harmonizing nature and commerce in an underground urban oasis
Sybarite | Field Operations | ECADI
Retail
/
Completed
As the architectural partners to SKP, Sybarite's previous work in Beijing and Xi’an has set the course for the expansion of the design and architectural vocabulary of SKP, as well as its agility to accommodate the different sites it is applied to. The brief is consistent – make each SKP project individual, implementing the unique tenets that differentiate it from one city to another whilst maintaining that which is recognisably an SKP environment. With Chengdu, we had to find a solution to fulfil the brief in an existing site that was first and foremost designated to be a park. The park is a first for SKP, a new blueprint for how the SKP design language can be applied. Under the concept of ‘Parallel World’, nature, retail, lifestyle, hospitality, and art are layered and interconnected.
SKP Chengdu lies within an ecological zone known as the ‘Green Belt’, one of the challenges that comes with developing in this area is that that nothing could be built above ground. To align with the location, the ground level of the site was designed as a 260,000 square metre sustainable park, with a sunken retail environment lying beneath. Designing a sunken retail environment offered Sybarite the unique opportunity to demonstrate a different way of thinking, responsive to the challenges of urban development, providing a unique and sustainable solution for commercial development in the urban area. The creation of a park and topographical architecture signals the potential of mixed-use masterplans as connective gravitational points for people, commerce, and nature.
Sitting within a Green Belt, SKP Chengdu meets the 70% target of roof permeability for the masterplan to fall in compliance with the “sponge city” concept – a new urban construction model for flood management, strengthening ecological infrastructure and drainage, boasting a minimum soil depth of 1.5 metres to accommodate the vegetation to mature. The ‘Sponge Park’ to the south is a plot purposefully built to retain water from the site. Our collaborators Field Operations incorporated a range of water management strategies such as permeable pavements, rain gardens and retention basins. The park is designed to capture and treat rainwater runoff from surrounding areas and includes a series of wetlands that help filter and clean water before releasing it back into the system.
The magnificence of SKP Park lies in the uninterrupted vista without a hint of what lies below. The parallel connection of park and plunging architecture emerges as if quarried into the landscape. Containing over half a million sq. m of retail and hospitality spaces with 99% of the buildings below ground level.
A series of six canopies as well as a central glass cube, shrouded in water, provide light and access to the retail levels below. Their materiality of brushed brass and glass signal entry into an SKP branded space.
Chengdu is a Transit Oriented Development; the site sits above several subway lines with station entrances integrated into the building as well as 2,400 parking spaces in underground parking.
Anchored by department stores SKP (contemporary luxury) in the north and SKP-S (next-generation luxury) in the south, which is topped by six water beacons that reach up to 39 metres high with fluctuating light settings and shadows.
The application of SKP Curves were evolved to a new level, from the Grand Staircase which connects the landscape and sunken retail and serves as a social and convivial space, the Y Bridge which morphs into SKP curves, whilst creating a space for fashion shows, performances, and various events below, to the façades, canopies, signages and interior motifs throughout the project. Sybarite’s design created a recognisable SKP environment which serves as an elegant architectural background for brands to shine while encouraging a sense of place.
As with all SKP projects, collaboration is key. SKP Chengdu, is a holistic and collaborative project by Sybarite, realised with Field Operations, ECADI, Arup, Speirs Major, Buro Happold, Eckersley O’Callaghan, and The Fountain Workshop.
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Birds' Eye View of SKP Chengdu
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Grand Staircase
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu K Avenue (Fashion Avenue)
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Y Bridge & Digital Façade
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Interior, Jewellery Department
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Interior, Watch Department
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Atrium
Photo by Nick Kuratnik, Courtesy of Sybarite
SKP Chengdu Rendez-Vous, lifestyle café and concept bookstore
Sichuan，chengdu
China
SKP
12/2023
370000 mq
Confidential
Sybarite
Sybarite
Curriculum
Sybarite was founded in 2002 by Torquil McIntosh and Simon Mitchell with an ethos to weave narrative and architectural and design codes into buildings, environments, masterplans and infrastructure projects.
The studio’s holistic approach to architecture and design positions itself perfectly for projects seeking conception, rebranding, and repositioning to attain destination status.
Sybarite have built a strong and credible reputation for retail and hospitality projects which are fundamentally driven by human behaviour and environmental responsibility.
The studio’s mission for the last two decades has been to create connected spaces. Over this time, the studio has adeptly revitalised brands and their environments on both small and large sales, resulting in substantial commercial success for notable developers, operators, and conglomerates in the luxury sector.
