An Atlanta architectural firm that has designed landmark convention centers in China has picked up new contracts in the country’s retail sector.
Tvsdesign was selected to design a mall in the fast-growing coastal city of Tianjin and a mixed-use commercial and residential development in Dalian. The firm also announced that it will design a mall in Mohali, India.
The Galaxy Mall in Tianjin, a 2 million-square-foot project, will be located in the city’s new Cultural Center District, which emphasizes pedestrian areas that flow with nearby performance venues. The mall’s design will reflect four distinct themes – sun, moon, stars and earth. The project is slated for completion next year.
In Dalian, which is located in northeastern China’s Liaoning province, tvsdesign has created the master plan for the Red Star Coastal Area Community Project, which consists of 550,000 square feet of retail and luxury residences.
The Indian mall is a 1 million-square-foot mixed-use building that will serve as a prototype for a U.S. developer as it expands further into the country.
Tvsdesign is one of many in the Atlanta design community that have aggressively pursued overseas projects, especially in China. The firm designed the Tianjin and Nanjing convention centers.
Designers often face truncated timelines in China, a major luxury market flush with developers looking to exploit demand for high-end housing and shopping districts even as the general population struggles to afford housing.
“They want it fast, they want it yesterday,” tvsdesign President Roger Neuenschwander said of his Chinese partners at an Asia conference in April. “They want you to be agile; they want you to be quick. We’ve found that the weeks and weekends blend together.”
The firm has a small Shanghai office, but the fast-paced construction schedules and 12-hour time difference force American staffers to stay on call and travel overseas frequently, Mr. Neuenschwander said at the conference.
Started in Atlanta during the 1960s as Thompson, Ventulett Stainback & Associates, tvsdesign has designed many major buildings in Georgia, including the Georgia World Congress Center.
Read more about how Atlanta architects have tapped China for growth during a slow patch for construction in the U.S.: Atlanta Architects Have Designs on China
