Shimao Festival City, Shanghai Retail Building, Chinese Commercial Redevelopment, Images
Shanghai Shimao Festival City Renovation
Building Renovation Architecture Project in China ? design by Kokaistudios
5 May 2019
Shimao Festival City
Architects: Kokaistudios
Location: Shanghai, China

After winning global acclaim for both K11 in Shanghai, as well as Beijing’s COFCO Plaza, Kokaistudios once again brings its expertise in shopping mall renovation to China?s increasingly lifestyle-driven retail scene. The firm’s recent renovation of Shimao Festival City in Shanghai illustrates this contemporary crossroads, and demonstrates how by expanding malls? functionality and reconsidering circulation, these sizeable structures can be reabsorbed by the city as useful public spaces of engagement and exchange.
Built in 2006, Shimao Festival City is a modern monument of Shanghai. Comprising retail, hotel and office space, it is located at the top of Shanghai?s famous East Nanjing Road shopping street, with views across nearby People?s Square. But despite its prime location the mall had fast become overlooked by residents in favor of venues more clearly aligned with their contemporary city lifestyle.

Kokaistudios was tasked with upgrading the pre-existing retail component of Shimao Festival City. By reconfiguring circulation both inside and outside the facility, identifying clear pathways according to visitor type, and creating openness and space, since renovations concluded i...