Only three years after it first opened, the rather spectacular DJI store at the waterside OCT Harbour shopping centre in Shenzhen, the hi-tech tinseltown in China‘s Pearl River Delta, has been fully revamped. But then again, its core business is drones, a hugely popular device whose technology has jumped with leaps and bounds in an equally short amount of time, justifying this makeover by Chinese architecture practice Various Associates. The DJI retail space measures no less than 4,000 sqm. (43,056 sq.ft.) set across four floors of an existing, spaceship-like structure, and as you can imagine, an abundance of nooks and crannies, albeit well-designed and highly functional, can be found across the premises. The building was initially designed as DJI‘s visitors centre, meaning intensive interior tweaks were required to create a vertical flow, leading to the implementation of a new staircase which literally meanders from floor to floor, in addition to the opening up of each floor.
Interestingly, a major part of the redesign is the cladding of the building’s expansive glass windows on the inside with a new Origami-inspired layer that’s both decorative and functional, controlling and filtering the sunlight. The ground floor is all about DJI‘s product range, featuring customised floating display stands, a nearly 40-metre screen and fixtures inspired by drone propeller blades. The clean, streamlined aesthetic aims to reflect DJI‘s hi-tech brand identity. Mind you, there’s even an enclosed area where customers can test drones. Next to the main entrance, there’s another door for those coming from the so-called DJI Oasis, an outdoor garden landscaped with triangular to resemble the building. A series of control towers, resembling a contemporary art installation, demarcates the garden.
The second level offers excellent views of nearby Shenzhen Bay, and customers can enter the building from the garden and access other floors via the newly installed staircase. The third floor is home to the Hasselblad Experience Station, a joint display area of DJI with the cult Swedish camera manufacturer, which since 2017, is fully owned by the drone maker. It’s concepted as an art gallery with a customer reception room embedded right in the middle. In contrast with the lower floors, the settings here are in a dark grey hue which reference Hasselblad‘s legacy. Also to be found here, is the DJI Service Centre which boasts a striking design feat—a three-seat bench crafted from a single piece of artificial stone and equipped with charging ports. Right below the spectacular roof construction sits the DJI Horizon, a versatile meeting space where product launches and other events are held. © superfuture
DJI
OCT Harbour, 8 Baishi Lu Dong (Nanshan)
518053 Shenzhen
Telephone +86 755 86665246
Mon-Thu 10am-10pm
Fri-Sat 10am-10.30pm
Sun 10am-10pm
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