Chongqing · Underwater Wonderland

Under the Sea is an intervention into the public realm of the newly built Zekebang Xingzehui mixed-use development in Chongqing, aimed at activating the open-air retail street through rich visual experience. Large floor graphics depicting a flowing stream, together with undersea-themed installations scattered along the pedestrian area, are eye-catching and socially engaging, stimulating different visitor groups. As its name suggests, the project depicts a colorful, intricate undersea world, the natural habitat of the client's starfish mascot Xingzai, who embarks on a journey meeting jellyfish, algae, shells, octopuses, and even a whale. The grey pedestrian street becomes a meandering watercourse in aquamarine hues that invites circulation and pauses in mini pocket plazas, where floor games and play equipment offer fun for children and adults. Because the retail street is spread across three levels due to the site's topography, the source of the stream is placed at the top level near the metro and complex entrance, and the water flows downhill to lower levels like a natural current, guiding visitors through the middle and toward the starfish at the bottom. All three-dimensional sea creatures, urban furniture, and floor games sit on contrasting coral-colored bubbles arranged to keep the emergency fire track clear. The project is designed as a play route with graded challenges for different ages: a directional stripe on the floor guides visitors from bubble to bubble along the coral path, and each bubble hosts specific functions that encourage social interaction, shifting from 2D graphics to 3D furniture, play structures, and leisure objects.