Aedas-designed Olympia 66 received a double win and was awarded both Gold and Sustainable Design awards for Design and Development – New Developments amid keen competition at 2017 International Council of Shopping Centre (ICSC) Asia Pacific Shopping Center Awards.
Designed by Global Design Principals Christine Lam and David Clayton, Olympia 66 is a statement of innovative design as a landmark in the city of Dalian, China. The design respects Chinese culture and urban context, with the thoughtful approach to its relationship to the street providing generous community space and plazas with integrated landscape.
This seven-storey shopping mall grasps the fine balance between a complex form and functions, responding to the immediate surroundings and local community and providing the largest shopping, lifestyle and leisure complex in Dalian.
The design creates a contemporary statement with an oriental overtone, defining an iconic city destination. The design drew inspiration from the twin carp, a symbol of wealth and abundance in Chinese culture which are typically used in Chinese New Year paintings.
The interplay of two swimming carp inspired a dynamic form which allows a loop circulation flowing through a continuous chain of retail, atrium and event spaces to the sky-plaza and central roof garden, creating an exciting and diverse lifestyle experience. Internal curving arcs resemble the dancing carp, with the expression of a series of simple shells with the tail flowing over the curving central spine.
The shells on the roof are layered to create clear storey glazing, allowing direct and reflected light into the two atria. The main facade is composed of hexagonal modules with various lighting effects recapturing the reflective scales of a carp. Source and photos, Courtesy of Aedas.
