A layered commercial hub reconnects everyday retail with daily transit, reshaping public life at Yuanyang Station.
A New Urban Gateway at Yuanyang Station
CLOU architects have unveiled the concept design for Longfor Chongqing Urban Railway Market at Yuanyang Station. Located in Chongqing’s Yubei District, the 7,572.5 sqm project includes a four-storey retail volume above ground and an underground parking level. Conceived as a new typology for transit-linked commerce, the project proposes a layered market that integrates lifestyle, food culture and public space, offering a dynamic outdoor retail experience embedded in daily life.
Transit Meets Urban Life
Directly connected to Yuanyang Metro Station, the project serves as a vital node where retail, mobility, and leisure intersect. By opening the ground level for easy pedestrian flow, the scheme encourages natural foot traffic from the station into the market, transforming an ordinary commute into a daily social ritual. The primary access hall, facing the station plaza, forms a grand urban gesture, inviting users to step directly from train platform to public market.
Elevated Layers of Activity
The retail volume rises across four levels, stacking a variety of functions from street food kiosks and everyday shops to destination dining and terraces. The stepped massing breaks the traditional mall box into layered public terraces. These platforms host events, casual dining, and shaded areas for rest. Transparent facades, cantilevered balconies, and lush planters reinforce a visual connection between levels and outwards to the city.
Food, Culture, and Community
The market interior is anchored by a double-height food hall that acts as a showcase of Chongqing’s culinary culture. Open kitchens, communal seating, and contemporary design elements frame a new social hub for residents and commuters. Above, open terraces extend the food experience outdoors, oriented towards the elevated railway and surrounding cityscape.
Free Movement, Layered Encounters
Balancing functionality with urban vibrancy, the project reflects CLOU architects’ continued exploration of retail as civic space. The architecture protects users from sun and rain while remaining open, bright, and walkable. Urban farming plots, local produce stalls, and informal gathering points support a new vision of sustainable and communal retail culture.
The 3,000 sqm underground car park supports accessibility for visitors while preserving the ground level as an uninterrupted public domain. Overall, Longfor Chongqing Urban Railway Market proposes a replicable urban prototype: where city infrastructure, public life, and commercial logic are not only compatible, but co-dependent.
