lula light mall: architecture for an outdoor lifestyle
MVRDV unveils the design for the upcoming LuLa Light Mall, a open-air shopping center located in the Luxelakes Eco-City district of Chengdu, China. Designed as a stack of loosely arranged boxes, the mall leverages the region’s temperate climate to promote an outdoor lifestyle. Large terraces, walkways, and staircases create a new landscape in the city that encourages vertical exploration.
The project is sited in Luxelakes, a developing eco-town in southern Chengdu known for its expansive green spaces and winding lakes. The eco-district spans 5.5 square kilometers, of which 1.4 square kilometers are covered by water, creating a park-like atmosphere. This location marks the intersection of an urban and natural context, making it a key transition point between Chengdu and the lakes to the southeast.
visualizations © MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
mvrdv backdrops outdoor terraces with colorful facades
Designing the LuLa Light Mall for Chengdu, the architects at MVRDV emphasize openness and transparency. Drawing inspiration from Chengdu’s park pavilions, the mall is made up of two primary elements — a 99-meter (325-foot) tower and a four-story plinth of stacked, rotating commercial units. This approach avoids the typical enclosed shopping mall format, instead creating a porous structure where air, light, and people flow freely between the various spaces. The design ensures that views of the surrounding lake and greenery are ever-present for visitors.
The open-air concept results in an array of outdoor terraces and elevated walkways that connect different parts of the structure. Visitors can enjoy the experience of moving between shops and the pockets of outdoor space, with walkways leading directly to the edge of the nearby lake. The colorful facades of the individual boxes, framed by bold outlines and accented with glass walls and colorful mullions, draw from the vibrant architectural language found in Chengdu’s park pavilions.
MVRDV’s LuLa Light Mall is set to be an open-air shopping center in Chengdu
a monochromatic tower and vibrant plinth
The ‘stacked box’ concept of MVRDV’s LuLa Light Mall allows for a variety of unit sizes and configurations, lending programmatic flexibility. Spaces range from lakeside units to those with expansive terraces overlooking Chengdu. This versatility ensures that the project will accommodate diverse types of retail, from shops and cafés to gyms and wellness centers.
While the building’s plinth embraces a colorful and fragmented design, the tower above follows a more restrained approach. With its monochromatic palette and shifting floors, the tower blends with the neighboring skyscrapers. Its western facade remains a single vertical plane, while the other facades feature terraces and overhangs that break up the mass, creating a contrasting relationship between the tower and the plinth below.
MVRDV incorporates its sustainable principals into the architecture by leveraging the open-air concept to minimize the need for air conditioning. The use of outdoor spaces and natural ventilation reduces energy consumption, and the mall is further equipped with solar panels on its rooftops to supplement energy needs.
the architecture features a design of stacked boxes to create terraces and walkways
a 99-meter tower contrasts with the plinth, creating a balance between urban density and open space
colorful facades and glass walls give the mall a vibrant visual identity