The urban retail landscape of Changsha has welcomed a bold new architectural addition with the opening of the HARMAY Changsha Guojin Street Store, designed by STUDIO SPLASH. Located on Guojin Street at the vibrant core of Changsha’s bustling Wuyi Square commercial district, the project establishes a commanding presence within a high-traffic subterranean retail corridor. By bridging underground transit networks with bustling street-level entrances, the new store acts as a major spatial nexus for the city’s shoppers and daily commuters alike.
Situated specifically on the B1 level of the commercial development, the retail space occupies a uniquely strategic position. It serves as a vital physical link between the B2 double-height atrium and the north-south ground access routes, placing it directly at a major intersection of heavy pedestrian circulation. This complex spatial context required an innovative design approach capable of capturing the attention of fast-moving passersby while transforming an underground corridor into an immersive retail destination. STUDIO SPLASH responded to this challenge by developing a concept that embraces the industrial, futuristic, and experimental design language characteristic of the HARMAY brand, while tailoring it intimately to the unique topography and circulation patterns of Guojin Street.
The architectural photography by Aaron Shao captures the striking visual identity of the store, highlighting how the design interacts with its subterranean surroundings. Through careful manipulation of materials, lighting, and spatial geometry, STUDIO SPLASH has transformed what could have been a standard corridor retail unit into an exploratory environment. The store’s facade and interior elements feature distinctive geometric arrangements, including radial shelf configurations and UFO-inspired display islands that draw inspiration from sci-fi aesthetics and industrial utilitarianism. These design choices not only optimize the display of products but also guide the natural flow of foot traffic, encouraging commuters and shoppers to pause, enter, and explore the curated interior landscape.
HARMAY, known globally for its warehouse-inspired retail concepts and architectural collaborations, continues its tradition of creating distinct shopping experiences that reflect the cultural and physical fabric of their host cities. In Changsha, the Guojin Street store leverages its underground location to create an enclave of modern design amidst the city’s rapid commercial growth. The integration of porthole-inspired facade details and metallic framing further enhances the vessel-like aesthetic, offering a distinct visual contrast to the surrounding concrete and commercial finishes of the subterranean transit hub.
As urban retail spaces increasingly focus on experiential design to attract physical foot traffic in the digital age, projects like the HARMAY Changsha Guojin Street Store demonstrate the powerful impact of thoughtful architecture. By turning a transitional circulation node into a destination in its own right, STUDIO SPLASH has delivered a significant addition to Changsha’s commercial architecture, documented extensively through the lens of Aaron Shao and curated under the guidance of HAN Shuang.
