the avenue imagines a ‘dystopian paradise’ taken over by nature in a UK shopping mall

for a recent project, the syrup room has taken the idea of neglected interiors and the UK‘s dying high street to create a dystopian world inside a shopping mall in bournemouth. the commission gave the design team a unique opportunity to be part of a distinguishable recovery process for a leading shopping center, transforming it into an experiential encounter that draws people in, and gives them a new reason to visit the town.

images courtesy of the syrup room

playing with the boarded-off and abandoned parts of the mall, the designers have transformed the space into a dystopian future where the natural world has taken over what mankind has created. incorporating both the benefits of ‘biophilic design’ and the demand for attention-grabbing shopping experiences, the installation serves as a talking point for both leisure commercialization, and raising awareness of our eco-footprint.

from initial design discussions and conceptual sketches through to sourcing and fabricating elements, the syrup room has undertaken the full realization of this dystopian paradise using parts of the mall’s history incorporated with a little of the team’s british wit and design edge. some details include hand-lain foliage, 400 3D printed decorative bolts, custom built neon signage, QR coded wall animations and inside jokes.

project info:

project name: the avenue

location: bournemouth, the UK

design: the syrup room

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.