Haikou International: The Forest at The Edge of The Sky

Haikou, China, 2023

Courtesy of Dafeng, China Duty Free Group and WETA

About the project

Haikou International is the world’s largest duty-free shopping complex in Haikou, China. In 2022, Atelier One provided structural engineering support to Wētā Workshop who partnered with China Duty Free Group (CDF) (client) and Dafeng (contractor) to transform the space into a fantastical, immersive and multisensory spectacle for shoppers to enjoy. This transformation had a theme of The Forest at the Edge of The Sky which filled the five storey, fifty meter high atrium with mesmerizing sculptures and interactive elements for the ultimate out of this world retail experience where shoppers act as both an audience as well as participants.

The process

The chosen theme sought to celebrate the natural environment of Hainan whilst challenging creative boundaries, amplifying those elements into an otherworldly experience. Wētā Workshop looked to the “iconic flora and fauna of Hainan” transforming them into several fantastical architectural and sculptural forms with the structural aid of Atelier One, to be placed all around the shopping centre. Atelier One’s conceptual structural input backed up with detailed analysis informed the design process, ensuring Haikou International’s installations were lightweight and elegant. Close collaboration with the entire design team led to innovative solutions.

The outcome

The final result is comprised of several interactive elements scattered around the space to encapsulate shoppers in a truly fantastical environment. They include the following:

A 29m tall interactive LED screen designed to look like a magical waterfall. Shoppers can interact with the illuminated floor surrounding it, their shadows parting the water flow revealing a gateway into this fairy-tale world.
A 25m high Tree of Light featuring almost 5000 individually programmed orbs of constantly changing lights. The structure is encompassed in a spiral staircase that delicately weaves its way round the outside of the glowing spectacle. The lights in the tree react with the motion of people walking past shimmering and fading as though their energy is being absorbed by the tree itself.
A 40m long, free standing escalator encased in a hollowed-out tree trunk comprised of metal cladding. Once in the tunnel shoppers are exposed to constant shifting colours and soundtracks with each new interactive point passed until they finally emerge out the other side.
Cantilevered, cast tree and flower forms that overshadow the atrium
A seemingly impossibly slender deer Sculpture in the atrium.

The Forest at the Edge of the Sky demonstrates how structural engineering involvement from the concept stage and close collaboration with the entire design team can lead to lightweight elegant installations.