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Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition by More Design Office

Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition by More Design Office is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Competition Category.


SilverArchitecture· 2023

Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition

by More Design Office

Client: More Design Office

Silver A' Design Award Winner in Architecture Category

15,164

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #142718

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The Design

About Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition

Mdo imagined the Yantai Experience Sales Centre as a contrast to the homogeneity of the new development, through form, materiality, and relationship with the landscape. Around the main central lounge and discussion area, all the other functions are placed equally accessible from the centre, encouraging more lines of communication and rendering an overall feeling of openness and link with the surroundings. The architecture becomes a unity of positive and negative spaces. Like a snow-crystal structure that can be read as a pattern in its presence or absence of matter.

The Recognition

About the Silver A' Design Award

Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Yantai Experience Sales Centre and Exhibition is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.

Where to Get It

Transformative Architecture and Interior Design Services

We create human-centric spaces that foster community and interaction. Our interdisciplinary practice combines architectural innovation with thoughtful interior design, specializing in cultural centers, residential projects, and commercial developments. With offices in Shanghai and the UK, we bring global expertise to each project.

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Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
Yantai is a coastal city defined by its hilly topography, its incredible fresh sea food and its winter snow.
MDO were commissioned to create a landmark at the corner of the central axis of a new development area, south of the Tashan Scenic Area.
The surrounding building fabric is typified by tall blocks of office and residences. MDO imagined the new building as a contrast to the homogeneity of the new development, through form, materiality and relationship with the landscape.
Dimensions & Packaging
Area:1800 Square Meters
Tags
Exhibition, Architecture, Interior, Sales Center, Modern, Simple, Natural, Art
Production Technology
From the exterior, the building appears as a series of fluted drums wrapped in a glass skirt. The drums vary in height depending on the internal function. They are finished with silver aluminum panels which gently reflect the sky and surrounding landscape.

The glass skirt employs six meters tall frameless panels which allow light and views into the interior. Even though the plan appears to be freeform, the facade was rationalized to use a single size and radius of curved glass with glass fins structure.
Design Challenge
When first approached by the client, their intention was to create a temporary sales centre to host the negotiation activities for the development. MDO proposed a demountable and reusable option, in order to avoid producing a big amount of waste, that was rejected.

While designing the project, MDO had clear in mind the focus to convince the local government that a sales centre could be much more than just a commercial building. MDO defended how the building could play an important role in the neighborhood as catalyst of social interaction and inclusion.

MDO included in the design important gathering and flexible areas, currently in use by the local community for different kinds of collective functions.

After presenting officially the project during the final stages, the local government finally took the decision to keep the architecture as a permanent establishment. When the development of the area will be over, all the sales functions will be dismissed and the government would make use of the architecture uniquely as cultural and art centre for the emerging community.
Research
Around the main central lounge and discussion area, all the other functions are placed equally accessible from the centre, encouraging more lines of communication and rendering a overall feeling of openness and link with the surroundings.

The architecture becomes unity of positive and negative spaces. Like a snow-crystal structure that can be read as a pattern in its presence or absence of matter.

The landscape areas, entering the sides of the building, become part of the whole rhythmical dialogue of the exhibition spaces, bringing light to the interior space.

From the exterior, the building appears as a series of fluted drums wrapped in a glass skirt. The drums vary in height depending on the internal function. They are finished with silver aluminum panels which gently reflect the sky and surrounding landscape.

The interior functions have been conceived as a collection. As each peripheral volume is a defined space, so environments are free to change and create a series of unique experiences.
Inspiration
The typical exhibition centre is designed as a loop or a one way path. Often a courtyard or site model is placed at the centre as a focus, circulation is linear, lacking interconnection between distant spaces.
MDO decided to challenge this norm by creating a public area at its centre, a place for discussion and interaction. MDO wanted to design the space to be more human centric and welcoming.
The other functions are arranged as peripheral crystal ramifications, connected to the central heart.
Project Duration
The project started in July 2019 and finished in March 2021.
Operation Flow
The central space is sunk down 1.2m to define the transition to the lounge area and to enhance the ceiling height. The step creates a column lined circular gallery, from which each external space is accessible and which encourages visual links between the different functions across the main space.

In the most open part of the snow-crystal, MDO created a stepped amphitheater.

The space is created for circular meetings, group activities and for children to play; a multifunctional space that can be adapted to different purposes. It keeps the circular shape as an emblem of gathering and openness.

It addresses the neighborhood through its fully transparent envelope, inviting the local community to join and gather.
Team Members
Architect: Justin Bridgland and Architect: Jaycee Chui
Image Credits
All materials on the site belong to More Design Office Co.,Ltd

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