OPPO Guangzhou: when design consolidates a brand!

Visual aesthetics, customer experience and product technology join forces for the design of this flagship OPPO store, reinforcing the brand identity and exalting the history of Guangzhou.

Conceptualized by UNStudio, the 606 sq. m. store builds on the forward-thinking ideology of OPPO, China’s global mobile phone brand. The design reinterprets the nuances of the brand’s products – the information technology aesthetics, and translates the qualities in the façade, furniture, and finishes.

The customer experience starts at the ‘Urban Park’, positioned between the store and the commons. It boasts an inclusive environment that meets the behavioural needs of all visitors. The 300 sq. m. façade at the entrance is another grand affair altogether, its bold visual identity taking inspiration from ancient Guangzhou’s popular bamboo. An obliquely-sliced, extruded tube serves as the module – a dimensional transformation of the ‘O’ in OPPO, repeating in varying lengths and curvatures. The overall composition echoes the corner curve of the OPPO brand logo, forming a grand, sweeping gesture. Reflecting dynamism and vibrancy through programmable lighting, the optical rhythmic motion across the façade guides visitors towards the entrance.

The interiors strike a balance between the solid and transparent, the heavy and light, and the cold and warm through subtly layered changes of depth.

Inside, the borderless spatial layout delineates two experiential zones – Pulse, the main display area, and Evolution, the social and interactive section. The latter encourages customers to charge their phones, test new products, and socialise.  Besides, a playful ‘instagrammable’ experience zone further encourages them to discover the features of the phone’s cameras by taking photos and selfies.

The sequence of both these zones is composed around uninterrupted winding circulation paths, made of white terrazzo and speckled ‘OPPO green’ that mimics the fluid ceiling lighting design, intuitively guiding visitors through the store, framing areas and displays. The interiors strike a balance between the solid and transparent, the heavy and light, and the cold and warm through subtly layered changes of depth. The use of natural wood in a muted palette accentuates the fluid forms while silver anodized aluminum panels, the rippled translucent glass screen and the acrylic prism wall dramatise visual perception.

The design addresses Guangzhou’s blend of rich history and modern outlook through a strategy that respects the city and the represents OPPO’s brand values.

Fact File:
Client: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
Typology: Retail Design
Programme: Facade and Interior Renovation Design
Design Firm: UNStudio
Design team: Ben van Berkel, Hannes Pfau, Garett Hwang with Alexander Meyers, Ana Castaingts Gomez, Piao Liu, Jing Xu, Idil Kantarci, Diego Ramirez Leon, Praneet Verma
Area: 606 sq. m.
Site Dimensions: Front: 20m; Depth: 30m
Building Height: 5.9m; Clear height: 4m
Location: Guangzhou, China
Photography credits: ©CreatAR Images and ©Yiyi and OPPO
Ar. Ben van Berkel photo credits: ©Els Zweerink