Sanlin InCity Mall

By reviving a local retail development that was on the decline, we gave Shanghai’s Sanlin neighbourhood more than a new mall. We created a new social hub, lifestyle destination and community heart.

We worked closely with developers Vanke SCPG and Cinve to regenerate the existing mall, combining our architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and retail planning expertise to transform an enclosed environment into an open, vibrant destination – and we did it in less than a year.

Access to the mall was a crucial starting point for our design team. We made it easier to enter and get around the development, including through a pedestrian footbridge connection. 

By blending the architecture and surrounding landscape with new plants and trees, we’ve also established an urban ​‘oasis’ for around-the-clock activities and events.

Inside the mall, we found ways to overcome constraints such as traditional floorplates, a restrictive entryway and voids filled with escalators and lifts. By opening up the space, we revealed once-concealed shopfronts – and made InCity Mall a more convenient and compelling place for the Sanlin community to shop, stroll and gather.