CLOU architects revitalize an abandoned mall and transform the structure into an urban meeting point making full use of interior landscaping in realizing the project’s ‘multiple-ground-floor’ scheme

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By On Dec 7, 2022

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China

CLOU architects along with CCTN Architectural Design have transformed an old and neglected mall development into a new, adventurous, and future-proof concept that manages to withstand and challenge the strong competition of urban retail precincts with its unique environment.

Named CapitaMall Nuohemule Hohhot, this seven-story mall covers an area of 76,300 square meters and is located opposite Hohhot’s Nuohemule station.

It has successfully been converted from a generic, rigid, and spatially congested interior with little public attraction into a vibrant multi-level experience that has become a visitor magnet far beyond its neighborhood.

CapitaMall Nuohemule Hohhot has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Internal public spaces play an important social role in a region where the climate is characterized by dramatic changes: short summers alternated with long, arid winters devoid of green and daylight.

To counteract these “winter blues,” Nuohemule emerges as the first green garden mall in Inner Mongolia, introducing lush multi-level interior landscaping that spreads vertically through a series of atria and out into the horizontal circulation zones.

Staggered floor plates break up the monotony of the existing stacked voids, while their increased size simultaneously introduces larger areas for events or themed programming across all floors.

In concert with the generous planting, these spaces invigorate the upper levels, effectively establishing a “multiple-ground-floor” scenario that ensures the distribution of attractions and increased footfall from basement to roof.

Complimented by interior wood accents, differently themed planters and water features utilize the existing building anatomy to attract visitors across all levels, fostering curiosity for an immersive, emotive shopping experience in a nature-induced and socially minded environment.