Beijing Golden Resources Mall

Project Background: Beijing Golden Resources Mall, located on Beijing’s West Fourth Ring Road, adjacent to Kunyu River in the east, opened in 2004. Dubbed ‘THE BIG MALL’ by locals, the project is Beijing’s largest shopping and leisure complex and the first modern large-scale commercial shopping center in China. Spanning 18.2 hectares and with a construction area of 615,000 square meters, this project stands as the world’s largest single commercial building. Continuously maintaining its position as Beijing’s top destination for many years, the mall now faces a pivotal challenge amidst China’s economic growth: its outdated facilities and appearance no longer meet evolving customer needs, prompting the need for a comprehensive building overhaul. Concept: When revitalizing the facade of an old building, architects often grapple with complex emotions. They reflect on why, within a mere 20 years, a once-modern structure has aged to the point of requiring replacement. They contemplate whether the building they design today will face a similar fate in another two decades. Inheritance and eternity: Our design journey began with a vision to refine the essence of the site, enrich its traditional language, and create a unique design language tailored to its surroundings and historical narrative. Our aim is to preserve the site’s unique memory, not only in anticipation of potential future transformations and renewals but also to ensure that its symbolic essence remains embedded in the collective consciousness and emotions of people. Through the fusion of traditional design textures and wave shapes, our design employs a design language that is implicit, gentle and powerful. This approach not only retains the site’s historical legacy but also seamlessly transitions it into a contemporary urban landmark, shaping today’s collective memory and ensuring its lasting presence throughout history. Ecology and sustainability: How can sustainability be fully integrated when renovating the skin of a 615,000 square meter commercial building? Small improvements, when multiplied across this vast area, brings considerable benefits both ecologically and sustainably. In addition to utilizing local sources and incorporating recyclable façade materials, tracking and controlling carbon emissions during construction process is crucial. Priorities include maximizing resource utilization and minimizing environmental impacts. The project employs measures such as installing photovoltaic panels on the roof, shading the façade, introducing natural ventilation through opening fans and the atrium chimney effect to proactively reduce energy consumption. Additionally, reducing ground parking lots, installing green plants, implementing rainwater collection, and optimizing water treatment systems have effectively reduced surface runoff, thus protecting the ecological environment along the Kunyu River. Resilience: Enhancing the design’s resilience is crucial for ensuring the long-term vitality of the building skin. Taking into account the urban climate environment and industrial context, the design fully incorporates the self-cleaning properties and modularity of the material. Through effective, reasonable, and economical material selection and overall modular design, we can foresee various future scenarios of replacement, adjustment, and cleaning, ensuring the long-lasting vitality of future projects in response to different environmental challenges, functional replacement, and other special circumstances.