RongTong Suzhou Renovation

The project faces several issues: an outdated community-mall building form with rigid circulation, no public spaces, weak natural lighting, and an overall lack of spatial identity; aging interior public areas with dim lighting and deteriorated finishes that hinder operations and leasing; an opaque, monotonous façade dominated by solid walls and lacking interaction with the exterior; and functional problems such as unisex restrooms and outdated MEP systems that compromise user experience and safety. To address these challenges, the design proposes a unified circulation corridor linking the mall and retail street to strengthen overall connectivity; activating the rooftop with landscape, commercial programming, and elevated pathways while enhancing the plaza to boost commercial vitality; reorganizing pedestrian and vehicular flows for better accessibility and functional synergy; integrating cultural elements by strengthening the relationship with Xiyuan Temple to create a culture-tourism-retail hybrid; blending indoor and outdoor environments through a combined mall–street typology and flexible landscape redesign; and implementing a holistic masterplan with selective demolition and restructuring to maximize commercial value and elevate the entire site.