Hefei MixC Rooftop Renovation by FLO Landscape Design

Contextual Overview: The Role of Rooftop Spaces in Commercial Architecture

In contemporary urban design, rooftops have become increasingly important in shaping the user experience in commercial architecture. These spaces, often overlooked, offer unique opportunities for architectural interventions that extend beyond traditional design boundaries. The Hefei MixC Rooftop Regeneration project embodies this trend, turning an abandoned rooftop into an essential part of the complex. The design not only provides new commercial opportunities but also reimagines the rooftop as a space for refuge, leisure, and experiential engagement.

Yet, regenerating a rooftop is not without its challenges. The initial spatial fragmentation, accessibility issues, and technical constraints of structural load limits presented significant obstacles. The successful transformation of the MixC rooftop exemplifies how creative design solutions can turn such limitations into opportunities for architectural expression.

Design Philosophy: Creating “Life in the Lotus Pond”

The Hefei MixC Rooftop Regeneration is rooted in the cultural heritage of Anhui Province, with the lotus pond serving as a central design inspiration. Lotus ponds are significant in traditional Chinese landscape design, symbolizing purity and harmony. The design team drew upon this motif to reimagine the rooftop as “Life in the Lotus Pond,” with every design decision reflecting a connection to nature, water, and the serene qualities of a traditional lotus pond.

Through abstraction, the design team created a minimalist spatial vocabulary centered around rounded geometries, representing the lotus leaf. These circular forms, repeated throughout the master plan, create a harmonious, surreal landscape. The concept of the lotus leaf abstraction not only provides symbolic depth but also offers practical solutions to space allocation, circulation, and visual continuity. The rooftop becomes a refuge—a surrealist garden where visitors can escape the commercial bustle below and experience a sense of tranquility.

The design’s success lies in its purity and restraint. The rooftop space could have easily been overwhelmed by excess, but the “less is more” approach enabled a clean, cohesive vision. The abstraction of natural elements—rather than a literal reproduction—allowed for a more profound interpretation of space, blending cultural references with contemporary design sensibilities.

Spatial Transformations: Enhancing User Experience and Functionality

One of the most significant achievements of the MixC rooftop regeneration is how it transforms a fragmented, underutilized space into a cohesive, multi-functional environment. The rooftop’s previous state lacked purpose or direction. By reorganizing the layout into distinct zones, the design team created functional spaces that serve both commercial and leisure purposes, all while maintaining a sense of natural fluidity between areas.

At the entrance, the “Lotus Trail” welcomes visitors with a serene garden, using carefully curated planting clusters that provide a soft, organic contrast to the hardscape. The dining courtyard, surrounded by restaurants, is enriched by “Lotus Grove” planting clusters, strategically placed to form intimate pockets of outdoor dining. The “Lotus Bay,” composed of cascading terraces, creates an inviting, stepped landscape that encourages interaction and movement, further enhancing the rooftop’s social and commercial appeal.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect is the rooftop’s ability to serve as an “urban escape.” The design capitalizes on the roof’s elevation, transforming it into a retreat that contrasts with the fast-paced environment below. The inclusion of the 300-square-meter activity lawn, surrounded by terraces and used for open-air events, adds flexibility and value to the space, while the “Lotus Pavilions” provide a focal point for casual gatherings or more formal performances. This careful orchestration of functions and aesthetics ensures the rooftop is not merely a commercial extension but a vital social hub that enriches user experiences.

Technical Execution and Material Innovation

The successful implementation of the Hefei MixC rooftop design relied on overcoming significant technical challenges, particularly the structural limitations of the roof itself. Soil depth constraints limited planting possibilities, with the maximum depth varying between 0.3m and 1m. To address this, the design team cleverly employed raised planters, configured in rounded forms to maintain the overall circular design language. These planters not only solve the technical problem of soil depth but also contribute to the aesthetic cohesion, evoking abstract representations of lotus communities in the pond.

One of the standout material innovations is the use of prefabricated terrazzo for the terraces. The terrazzo, mixed with shell aggregates, creates a unique texture and visual quality that complements the broader design. By limiting the color palette to white terrazzo for the terraces and dark gray for the ground pavers, the designers created a striking visual contrast that mirrors the relationship between lotus leaves and water surfaces in nature. The prefabrication process also required careful attention to detail, especially in the subdivision of the curvilinear steps and terraces. The design team’s solution, based on the radial geometry of lotus leaf veins, allowed for seamless integration of the prefabricated modules.

Lighting and waterscape design further enhance the sensory experience of the rooftop. The integration of water features with soft LED lighting creates a dynamic interplay of reflections and ripples, simulating raindrops on a lotus pond. This delicate balance between natural symbolism and modern technology deepens the immersive quality of the space, particularly in the dining courtyard where the water features become a central element.

The collaboration between landscape designers, architects, and consultants has resulted in a highly detailed, technically proficient rooftop that marries function with form. The Hefei MixC rooftop is not only a commercial success but also a testament to the potential of urban rooftops to offer unique, experiential spaces that challenge the boundaries of traditional architecture.