It is a dreamlike journey called Escapism, an “offline social entertainment metaverse” born out of the big bang of design inspiration. Fundolandπ is one of the major amusement brands under LEDI Culture, and its Meland club is also a leading brand in parent-child entertainment. Located in Changsha BBG Star World, the project is situated in the Red Star Business District with a premium target group that follows quality lifestyle and fashion trend.
The project is precisely anchored in the popular areas of contemporary youth consumption, integrating diversified entertainment businesses such as retail, restaurants and pubs, Livehouse, bowling sports, escape room, murder mystery game, KTV and arcade games. In the space of over 4,500 square meters, the designer integrates together more than ten diverse and complex entertainment areas and functional zones to present a series of complete immersive experiences.
In terms of the original plan of the building, the site conditions posed a great challenge to the design team: the irregular spatial boundary lines and the many non-removable columns became the “first barrier” for the designer to build this large indoor entertainment complex. In order to avoid the interference of columns, the designer divided a tunnel-like corridor space of about 60 meters long according to the actual conditions of the site.
The rest of the entertainment areas are planned along this main visitor route on both sides, enhancing the accessibility of each subsidiary space and strengthening the fun and joyful exploratory aspect of the project as a whole. The black mirrored wall at the entrance reveals a fantasy world inside an arched doorway, like a journey into an animated fictional universe, with several oncoming “dream trains” creating a strong sense of surreal dislocation.
The “Dream Train” is a symbol specially designed for this dream world, carrying a mission called “Escape”, leading visitors to escape from the banal reality and boredom of everyday life. Trains, subways, carriages, tunnels, the symbolic elements of the theme are transformed into echoes of the dream world, allowing you to fall into a deeper level of adventure and unreality. The designer ensures that the aesthetic is not destroyed while achieving the maximum utilization of the area and the rational placement of ancillary functions.
The consumer circulation follows the change of the space pattern and extends forward in a streamlined manner. Different dining areas are planned inside and outside the train carriages and the dining tables and chairs can be flexibly combined to meet different operational needs and create a free and open social atmosphere. The retail area and the gift area are on either side of the entrance, and the four walls of merchandise display reflects the visual magic of endless space under the effect of the mirrored ceiling.
The rectangular shelves of different scales match the needs of different products, and the low-saturated orange light source with the cool blue screen creates a sci-fi feel. Where the dream train stops, the mysterious passage to the next station of this fun adventure is connected. The metal pipes decorated with dazzling light boxes connect the other entertainment areas in all directions, leading the players to another parallel space of different styles.
Arcade City
The design of the arcade game station is inspired by the “retro neon subway”, and the designer has incorporated subway seats, handrail rings, signage, ground warning lines and wall graffiti into the design to create an underground arcade. The black and white collage tiles and fluorescent green decorative light strips form the retro-punk color sense of the space, which is further enhanced by the rosy pink ambient light emitted from the video game equipment, making it even more techno-psychedelic.
Bowling Alley
From the bowling alley to the magic station, the unimagined experience is all within reach here. The bowling alley has been transformed into a central station that bridges the future and the past, overturning the stereotypical image of space and bringing a futuristic fantasy into a new era of time and space. A huge locomotive sits at the focal point of the grand and open hall. The arched metal corridors on both sides create an array of aesthetics, upgrading the entertainment fun into a high-end amusement experience full of rituals.
Live House
The Livehouse uses a metal wall grille to enhance the retro feel and refinement of the space. The dark red sofa seating and marble bar table add a sense of quality to the space. The seating is placed on both sides of the stage, and the cold blue lights outline the structure frame of the space, rendering a bit of pioneering psychedelia, creating an overall immersive atmosphere for the performance.
KTV
The entrance of the new-style KTV is located at the end of the tunnel dining pub. The designer deliberately sacrificed part of the second floor during the planning stage to create a stunning visual effect of the double-height foyer. The two staircases are interlaced in the shape of X letters, and the designer uses symbolic aesthetics to grasp the magical tone of the space to the fullest. The mysterious atmosphere created by the dark metal is embellished by the red linear light strips and geometric light spots, presenting an almost psychedelic future aesthetic.
As the space progresses, the designed landscape becomes more and more abstract and sci-fi, leading people from the real world to the surreal space step-by-step. The designer transforms the traditional consumption behavior into a sensory consumption experience through the integration of the establishment of a story with the consumption circulation, allowing consumers to shuttle between the virtual and the reality, to experience the most extreme futuristic art atmosphere.
- Location: 3 BBG Star World, No.398 Xiangfu East Road, Yuhua District, Changsha, China
- Architect: X+Living
- Chief Designer: Li Xiang
- Technical Director: Fan Chen, Wu Feng
- Project Ditector: Yang Qiong, Ren Yujin
- Design Team: Chen Jiaxin, Zheng Shuwen, Zhuang Yinchuan, Huang Zhenwei, Guo Ruikun, Huang Ruxue, Huang Haifeng
- Customized Furniture: X+Living
- Production Director: Zheng Minping
- Coordination Team: Lu Qi, Wu Mengxi
- Client: LEDI Culture Pty., Ltd.
- Completion Time: 2022.9
- Photographs: SFAP, Courtesy of X+Living
