Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir by Luchuan Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Umha A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Àiteachan Taobh a-staigh agus Taisbeanaidh Competition Category.
UmhaTaobh a-staigh· 2026
Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir
Client: Eik Space Design
Duais Umha A' Design Award Winner in Taobh a-staigh Category
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The Design
About Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir
'S e àite reic is eòlais deoch-làidir a th' ann an Chuanlian, suidhichte ann an Dalian, Sìona. Tha an dealbhadh a' còmhdach 3,000 meatair ceàrnagach thar trì làran, air a chur air dòigh mar thuras-mara. Bidh luchd-tadhail a' tighinn a-steach tro ionnstalachadh ann an cumadh ciste-ionmhais agus a' gluasad tro raointean airson baijiu Sìneach, fìon dearg, deoch-làidir measgaichte agus bàr. Tha racaichean-taisbeanaidh is pàirteachaidhean a' gabhail an cumadh bho shiùil is chroinn, agus tha am mullach a' leantainn cumadh tuinne. Chaidh stuthan a thaghadh airson am buadhan meòrachail is teannachaidh. Tha siostam solais so-atharrachaidh agus aplacaid ghluasadach a' stiùireadh gluasaid, agus tha taisbeanaidhean fosgailte a' leigeil le luchd-tadhail suathadh ris gach botal.
The Recognition
About the Duais Umha A' Design Award
Tha Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir air Duais Umha A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh gu math urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean sònraichte a tha air an comharrachadh le cruthachalachd, innleachd agus geurchuis. Tha buannaichean Umha nan obraichean gu math sgileil agus gu sònraichte cruthachail a dhearbhas eòlas farsaing, mac-meanmna agus tapachd an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir na nì air a bheil mòran meas, ion-mholta agus gràdhach, a tha gu sònraichte proifeiseanta agus ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Umha A' Design Award a' cur nan cleachdaidhean as fheàrr ann an ealain, saidheans, dealbhadh agus teicneolas an gnìomh, agus tha e sàr-mhath airson an aire do mhion-fhiosrachadh. Bidh Chuanlian Dealbhadh Taobh a-staigh Bùth Deoch-làidir a' sàsachadh fheumalachdan gu h-iongantach, a' suathadh ri miannan, a' tàladh faireachdainnean agus a' togail fiosrachd.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Inspired by the Chinese word "Chuanlian," meaning "connected rivers," this 3,000-square-meter liquor retail space in Dalian transforms the act of buying into a journey of discovery. Flowing light, curved paths, and layered materials evoke the passage of time and taste, celebrating the spirit and refinement of Chinese liquor culture.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The project is located in Dalian, China, covering 3,000 square meters over three floors. Each level unfolds a journey - from Chinese baijiu to red wine and spirits from around the world - encouraging visitors to explore. Every display is designed to be touchable and scenographic, allowing guests to feel the texture, temperature, and story behind each bottle. The space blends narrative and interactivity, transforming retail into a sensory voyage.
- Tags
- Liquor retail, immersive experience, spatial storytelling, light design, maritime culture, interactive display, Chinese spirits, digital exploration, sensory space, brand narrative
- Production Technology
- The space takes form from the language of the sea. Exhibition racks and partitions evolve from the structure of sails and masts, expressing both lightness and tension. The undulating ceiling echoes ocean waves, guiding the rhythm of movement. Materials were chosen for their reflective and tensile qualities rather than ornament. A Dali lighting system with fully adjustable brightness and color temperature turns light into an emotional compass, responding to each visitor’s pace.
- Design Challenge
- The greatest challenge was to translate an invisible emotion - trust - into spatial form. The team needed to balance commercial clarity with poetic experience, ensuring that exploration felt natural rather than staged. Another difficulty lay in integrating the dynamic DALI lighting and digital guide system into an environment of calm tactility. Every detail, from material resonance to visitor rhythm, was calibrated to evoke a sense of voyage and belonging.
- Research
- The research focused on how liquor retail could rediscover the warmth between place and people in an era dominated by online consumption. The process involved observing consumer behavior in both digital and physical contexts, interviewing long-time customers, and studying emerging consumption scenes that had never existed before. Findings revealed that creativity, immersion, atmosphere, and narrative rebuild trust more effectively than efficiency. Chuanlian transforms these insights into a spatial story where commerce becomes culture.
- Inspiration
- Chuanlian, a 28-year-old liquor retail brand, responds to the digital era by redefining offline experience. Inspired by Dalian’s maritime culture, the design follows a voyager who set sail 28 years ago in search of fine spirits. The journey unfolds through sail-like forms and wave motifs, blending narrative and emotion. With app-guided exploration and on-site tasting, the space turns retail into connection - restoring authenticity, tactility, and ritual to the physical store.
- Project Duration
- The project is located in Dalian, China. Design development began in November 2021 and construction was completed in November 2024. The space officially opened to the public in January 2025 as the flagship retail and experience center of Chuanlian International Trade Co., Ltd., representing the brand’s renewed vision for cultural storytelling and sensory engagement in liquor retail.
- Operation Flow
- Visitors enter through an installation symbolizing a voyager's treasure chest and gradually move through zones of Chinese baijiu, red wine, mixed liquor, and finally the bar. The themed journey is guided by dynamic lighting and a mobile app that responds to movement. All displays are open and touchable, inviting guests to slow down, release tension, and connect through genuine sensory experience rather than distance or formality.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to EIK Space Design Studio and Luchuan Zhang.
All drawings, renderings, and photographs are original works created for Chuanlian Liquor Retail Space by EIK Space Design Studio. - Team Members
- Lead Designer & Creative Director: Luchuan Zhang
Design Studio: EIK Space Design, Chengdu, China
Lighting Consultant: Oway Lighting
Brand Visual Identity: Zhigui Studio
Client: Chuanlian International Trade Co., Ltd.
The project was developed as a collaborative dialogue between design, light, and brand identity. Each partner contributed to shaping a sensory and emotional narrative, where architecture, light, and storytelling merge into one integrated experience. - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer / Architectural Photographer Chen Yiran (EIK Space Design Studio), Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
Image #2: Photographer Chen Yiran (EIK Space Design Studio), Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
Image #3: Photographer Chen Yiran (EIK Space Design Studio), Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
Image #4: Photographer Chen Yiran (EIK Space Design Studio), Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
Image #5: Photographer Chen Yiran (EIK Space Design Studio), Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
Video Credit: Directed by Luchuan Zhang (EIK Space Design Studio), Edited by EIK Space Design Studio, Chuanlian Liquor Retail Experience Space, 2024.
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