Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center | Design Limn
Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center by Beijing Topace Architecture Design Ltd.

Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center

Silver A' Design Award Winner 2025

Spatial symbolism within Beijing Topace Architecture Design Ltd.'s Life Lab Center operates through carefully orchestrated architectural vocabularies that communicate welcome, aspiration, and community. The dramatic vertical void with ascending terrazzo steps functions as threshold architecture, encoding the archetypal journey of ascent—transformation, elevation, and discovery—through physical spatial progression. Glass, deployed extensively throughout, carries established connotations of transparency, openness, and connection between realms, here manifesting as the permeable membrane between interior sanctuary and the celestial theater of sunset sky. The amber and gold glass block installation activates deep chromatic associations: gold traditionally signifying wisdom, illumination, and precious value across cultures; amber evoking warmth, organic origin, and preserved light. This luminous wall might be understood as a contemporary interpretation of sacred light traditions—the rose windows of cathedrals, the mashrabiya screens of courtyards—architecture designed to transform light into spiritual experience. Biophilic elements carry their own symbolic weight: the substantial indoor tree as axis mundi connecting earthly and celestial realms, suggesting growth, rootedness, and living presence within constructed space. The circular forms of seating arrangements and table groupings reference wholeness and community gathering, while the linear ceiling coffers create directional vectors suggesting forward movement and purposeful journey. Terracotta and vermillion accents activate associations with earth, vitality, and warmth—grounding colors that anchor the ethereal light qualities. The design articulates a coherent spatial narrative of arrival, ascent, and illumination, encoding through material and spatial choices an invitation toward elevated experience and communal belonging.

By integrating immersive experiences with local culture, Zhanjiang Chengfa Runyue Life Lab Center evolves from a traditional sales space into a hybrid urban lifestyle hub that balances functionality and aesthetics. Its open, multifunctional design transcends the limitations of traditional sales centers, enriched with diverse cultural elements and amenities to cater to young families who value both socializing and quality of life. Beyond propelling neighborhood development, it establishes an innovative urban culture model for Zhanjiang.