Virtual Reality Startup’s Pixel-Themed Space in Shanghai
China’s luxury travel market is booming. One factor is Zanadu, a 4-year-old e-commerce startup that offers customers a WeChat channel, a quarterly magazine, and virtual-reality videos of vacation destinations. And now, thanks to Shishang Architecture, the company also has a permanent brand space inside the Yi Ou Lai Shanghai Village shopping center.
To appeal to the digital millennial generation, Shishang executive director Chen Xuan went for what she calls “an exploded pixel landscape.” LED-lit acrylic cubes spell out the company name, form seating in the VR area and stands for touch-screens, even drop from the ceiling to conceal HVAC equipment. Steel house shapes symbolize doorways to fantastic travel experiences. And the cluster of 10-foot-tall MDF panels laser-engraved with rainbow colors are her 21st-century version of hot-air balloons.