DJI Flagship Store / Various Associates

Architects: Various Associates
Area: 4000 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: SFAP
Manufacturers: Dianyue, Finnit, Jinggangshijia
Lighting Design: GD Lighting Design
MEP Design: Tongji Architects Co., Ltd. Shenzhen
Structural Design: Tongji Architects Co., Ltd. Shenzhen
Contractor: HECIAN
Chief Designers: Qianyi Lin, Dongzi Yang
Project Management: Hanqun Cai
Design Team: Yuwen Deng, Zebing Li, Benzhen Pan, Chao Luo, Junrui Zhang, Qian Xie, Yue Zhang
Client: DJI
City: Shen Zhen Shi
Country: China

DJI Flagship Store, designed by Various Associates, is the world’s largest DJI store, located at OCT Harbour on Shenzhen Bay. Spanning nearly 4,000 square meters, the four-story space offers a seamless customer experience, including sales, product demonstrations, after-sales support, and training. A key feature is the outdoor DJI Oasis, a test flight park and creative space for drone performances and leisure. Originally a visitor center, the building faced circulation issues, which were resolved by adding new staircases to improve vertical flow and create a cohesive bottom-to-top experience. The design blends interactive indoor and outdoor spaces, reflecting DJI’s commitment to innovation.

I prefer architectural details in which structure and cladding are clearly distinct and require no secondary decoration.
Interview with Qianyi Lin and Dongzi Yang of Various Associates

DJI has launched its largest flagship store globally at OCT Harbour, located along the shores of Shenzhen Bay. Three years prior, Various Associates was commissioned to redesign the space, ensuring it embodies DJI’s distinct technological vision, dedication to quality, and meticulous spirit of research.

The redesigned flagship store spans nearly 4,000 square meters and is housed in an irregularly shaped standalone building with a completely new interior design. The four-story layout has been reconfigured to ensure smooth customer flow, providing a seamless one-stop service experience that includes sales, product demonstrations, after-sales support, and training for DJI’s extensive product lineup. A standout feature of the store is the outdoor DJI Oasis, which integrates seamlessly with the building and is designed to host drone flight performances while serving as a creative space that caters to the leisure and lifestyle needs of urban residents.

To showcase DJI’s innovative and unique drone technology, the project incorporates the groundbreaking concept of the DJI Oasis. This feature integrates a viewing platform into the interior, creating an open, welcoming, and interactive outdoor test flight park. Together with the spacious and versatile interior areas, this distinctive outdoor space offers a dynamic and engaging retail experience, allowing customers of all ages to explore and appreciate the appeal of DJI’s technology and products.

The irregularly shaped building features an exterior of large glass curtain walls with various angled surfaces, allowing sunlight to penetrate the interior. However, due to the prolonged heat of the local climate, the top floor is also exposed to significant sunlight during the day. Originally designed as a visitor center, the four-story interior included an indoor landscape staircase that only connected to the outdoor viewing platform on the second floor, preventing visitors from freely moving between floors via the stairs. As a result, vertical movement throughout the building relied solely on two elevators. Moreover, the transportation hubs on the third and fourth floors, along with the staff’s dedicated passage, were all confined to the core tube area.

The addition of vertical circulation became essential to connect all floors and create an open, accessible space throughout the building. The installation of new staircases enables a seamless flow, allowing each floor to function independently while contributing to a cohesive bottom-to-top experience for visitors.