DJI has opened its largest flagship store in the world at OCT Harbour on the shores of Shenzhen Bay. Three years ago, Various Associates was entrusted to renew the space to reflect DJI’s unique sense in technology, commitment to quality, and meticulous research spirit.
The revamped flagship store covers an area of nearly 4,000 square meters, housed in an irregularly shaped standalone building with a newly designed interior. The four-story space has been replanned with a smooth customer flow to offer a seamless one-stop service experience, including sales, product experiences, after-sales support, and training for DJI’s comprehensive product range.
A notable feature of the store is the outdoor DJI Oasis, which seamlessly integrate with the building and will serve as a key venue for future drone flight performances and a creative space to meet the leisure and lifestyle needs of urban residents. To highlight DJI’s leading and distinctive drone technology, the groundbreaking concept of DJI Oasis is introduced to the project.
It blends a viewing platform into the interior to create an open, friendly, interactive outdoor test flight park. This unique outdoor space, alongside spacious and diverse interior space, creates a dynamic interactive retail experience that enables customers of all ages to embrace the charm of technology and DJI products.
The irregularly shaped architecture features an exterior composed of large glass curtain walls with various angled surfaces. As a result, sunlight can easily reach the interior of the building, but due to the prolonged heat of the local weather, the top floor area is also exposed to “sunlight” during the day.
The interior space of the four floors was originally set up as a visitor center in the early days, and the indoor landscape staircase only leads to the outdoor viewing platform on the second floor, making it impossible for visitors to walk up and down the stairs, and the complete vertical movement of the tour can only be accomplished by two elevators.
Additionally, the transportation hubs on the third and fourth floors, as well as the dedicated passage for the staff, were all located in the core tube area. Therefore, the addition of vertical circulation within the space became necessary to open up the space on all floors.
The New “Skin”
To create a controlled, soft light and pure spatial environment within the space, and to address the impact of intense sunlight exposure, the ceiling structure is designed to extend in an origami-like form, inspired by the site’s geometric faceted structure. The first floor serves as the DJI product display area, featuring customized floating display stands and a nearly 40-meter-long dynamic screen.
Fixtures inspired by DJI drones’ propeller blades run through technical support, product experience, and product display areas. This design, in combination with redesigned “exploded views” of DJI’s signature products on the wall, creates a unique technological space that embodies DJI’s brand essence.
The main display area features concise and clean lines, with small stone pieces on the floor adding a sense of the outdoors, while the everchanging sunlight fills the area with warmth and natural variations. The pure contour lines, the choice of materials, and the design of the display stand are all generated to reflect DJI’s own DNA, offering all visitors a sense of unique technological ritual and cultural charms of DJI.
DJI Oasis
Beyond the main entrance, visitors can enter the store through the outdoor DJI Oasis. This area features gentle ramps that divide the lawns, creating a meandering path for visitors to interact with the park’s natural environment. The landscape design extends the architectural style, unfolding in concise triangular patterns.
A series of control towers, resembling contemporary art installations, are strategically positioned in the DJI Oasis. This designated drone launch area offers a perfect platform for drone test flights. Additionally, the second-level platform offers excellent views of Shenzhen Bay. Visitors can enter the building from the DJI Oasis and access other floors via the newly added staircase, forming a closed loop of the line of motion. Source by Various Associates.
- Location: Shenzhen, China
- Achitect: Various Associates
- Chief designers: Qianyi Lin, Dongzi Yang
- Project management: Hanqun Cai
- Project principal: Yuwen Deng
- Design team: Zebing Li, Benzhen Pan, Chao Luo, Junrui Zhang, Qian Xie
- Lighting design: GD Lighting Design
- MEP design: Tongji Architects Co., Ltd. Shenzhen
- Structural design: Tongji Architects Co., Ltd. Shenzhen
- Contractor: HECIAN
- Client: DJI
- Area: 4,000 sqm
- Completion time: January 2024
- Photographs: SFAP, Couretsy of Various Associates
