VITA GREEN BLOCK B | JUNWEI SHEN

Always starting from where it exactly ended, our life in this urban jungle has been lived towards a template of merry-go-round: going to work, watching tv series……a mediocre insipidity. Finding a glimpse of escape in leisure time, we can refresh ourselves in a scenario where the enlightenments beyond the vapid daily routine are extremely touching and starting to shine……

In this urban jungle, the furthest distance is not where people are physically at, but when our tracks of life never meet, we feel isolated as if thousands of mountains are in between. What opportunities can bring encounters to each other? What scenarios are made to enlighten us with discovery of highlights in daily routine?

Vita Green Block B is designed with the initiative to lighten up our ordinary days. It is where the young generation pursuing life quality and emotional interaction in this urban jungle can relax, communicate, discover and experience, bringing tastes of surprise and bites of happiness into the commonness.

This project is one block of the extended commercial system of the new city in west part of Zhengzhou, which locates right next to Vita Green Block A. Simple repetitive extension will only construct a so-called incremental complex. Therefore, the general concept of the designer is to differ block B from block A, transforming the architecture into a silver lining in life, where the past grows into present, instead of copying the existing form.

Respecting the surroundings, the architecture is designed relatively low, with an extension of red brick wall from the window and hollow wire gauze on top. A unified horizontal facade demonstrates the care for a communication with public, against meaningless decorations that has been eroding the architecture existence order in urban space, in the hope of creating a landscape connecting the past and future.

About the project

VITA GREEN BLOCK B is a community mall located in the west part of green city Zhengzhou. VITA GREEN is profoundly green by its gene. Apparently, it wishes to be the ecological and fashionable place where people feels like gathering and interacting with each other, bringing a life style that influences the life circle beyond. Comparing to the independent commercial existence of block A, it focuses more on the flow of emotion, creating sensory inspirations beyond daily routine, willing to become a community where people connects. With its extraordinary compatible space, this community mall can contain spaces of various forms and capacities, unleashing creative thoughts and providing the visitors with more casual, friendly vibe of communication and interaction.

How to guide passenger flow with light, and to create transparent space of illusive lighting experience is one of the challenges facing the designer

Led by the inspiration Illusive Forest, the designer combines art and technology, forging a feast of light and shade like a quodis arcana in nature. A forestry and glamouring community thus comes into being, promoting the interaction between neighbors and lightening up our ordinary days……

The architecture facade is an illusive forest composed of hundreds of sets of wire-net meshes and sunlight enters the interior through stained glass windows from different directions, which weaves shining glow and touching warmth. Sunlight varies while light and shade flows, as if the iridescent air is breathing life into the whole shopping mall. Treading through this fleeting dazzle of light performance, you’ve entered an immersive interactive experience of light and shade, where dreams start to shape.

The uniqueness of the project

The design concept comes from Illusive Forest. Designer adopts design elements including columns like tree trunks, and wire-net meshes like tree leaves, which have constructed the facade of almost the whole shopping mall, creating intense visual impact. Light is led into the interior through stained glass windows on the roof, conjuring up an imaginary quodis arcana of light and shade.

To help visitors experiencing the interactive transparent space more at ease, the designer divides the shopping mall into four scenarios: Fallingwater Plaza, Forestry Pathway, Courtyard of Light, Starry Night Community.

Fallingwater Plaza:

The plaza flows into the building like a creek, connecting staircases of different scales, winding latitudes and  various shapes, guiding the customers in. Giant columns with hundreds of sets of hallow meshes construct an illusive forest of light and shade, wrapping the plaza, luring you to explore with curiosity and can’t help taking another step forward.

Forestry Pathway:

The space between the forestry columns and red brick walls is the pathway for visitors.  Stores along the pedestrian walk consist of trendy restaurants, influencing cafes, fashionable cultural and creative shops. Customers can enjoy their orders in the open terrace, appreciating the street view while drinking coffee, bathing in the comfort and leisure of sunshine.

Courtyard of Light:

Entering the interior, every visitor will be sincerely and deeply touched by this illusive light and shade performance. Looking up, the flickering light sways as if it’s coming through lush canopy way above. The sunlight travels through the stained glass windows, sprinkling on the wall and ground, flowing in space. Even if just standing in front of plain white wall and mottled ground, the light and shade takes you to the unpredictable and dazzling imaginary world of oz.

The atrium from 1F to 3F enhances the continuity of the vertical open space, as well as forming naturally staggered and continuous courtyard type of platform. You can have a clear view of related floors from different angles despite of your location.

Starry Night Community:

Looking for a corner in urban jungle, finding a place for inner peace, lightening up our ordinary days……

At the end of the corridor on 3F of the shopping mall, the designer built an open space where we can connect to the nature —— Starry Night Community. Ventilation is all natural here, and the wooden staircases form sitting area in natural status. Getting closer to the nature through giant open windows, we lay our eyes further beyond, where poems and dreams shine.

The terrace is on two floors connected by staircases. The platform can hold interactive activities and more possibilities that complements its functionality.

Different from the wide and noisy atmosphere in traditional shopping mall, Vita Green Block B has an interior of delicate finesse, full of colorful and vigorous vibes. Instead of shopping center, it represents an illusive forest of light and shade.

It is more than a shopping center, but a social community where people connects. Rooted in community space, it brings a lifestyle that influences the life circle beyond, making communal open communication and interaction easier and more lively. It connects people to the nature and lightens up our ordinary days!

Hollow facade and skylight make fully use of natural sunshine, building the architecture to be transparent and open, welcoming every visitor with an outstanding compatible status. The utilization of natural light also accords with the ecological and fashionable concept that the designer has always been promoting.

Project name: VITA GREEN BLOCK B

Design Company: ARIZON DESIGN

Architect: JUNWEI SHEN 

Completion: 2019.12.21

Project location: Zhengzhou,China

Project Area: 12000㎡

Photography: Dirk weiblen

Material： Brick, Stone, Iron etc.