As the core design team behind this project, we are honored to share the design thinking behind the Suzhou Information Consumption Experience Center (Suzhou Unicom 5G Exhibition Hall). Our goal goes far beyond constructing a digital technology showcase — we aim to create a “City Digital Living Room” for Suzhou, a national model city for information consumption, where innovation can be perceived, experienced, and emotionally resonated.
The Experience Center integrally displays technologies and products from multiple industries and enterprises, including big data on information consumption, industrial internet production lines, VR virtual reality, AR augmented reality, and touch-control experiences, while also incorporating a wide range of consumer-oriented application services. Content is presented through technical means such as 5G, artificial intelligence, VR virtual reality, and AR augmented reality. The exhibition focuses on areas such as China Unicom’s innovation capabilities, digital industrialization solutions, digitalization practices, 5G + industrial internet, whole-house smart home, information consumption industry ecosystem, and China Unicom Xiaoyan Live Broadcast.
Core Concept: Interpreting an Era of Transformation through Spatial Narrative
The core challenge of the project was how to vividly present the grand theme of Suzhou’s transformation — from the 1.0 era of online consumption to the 2.0 era of deep online–offline integration. Our design response was to use “Information Consumption: The Chronicle of Gusu” as the main narrative thread, with Digital Intelligence Connectivity and Smart Suzhou as underlying themes. We sought to merge the cool rationality of digital technology with the warm humanistic spirit of Gusu, telling a story of technological evolution and future living through spatial narrative. Meanwhile, through advanced digital exhibition technologies, the space achieves a “thousand faces for a thousand visitors” experience — adapting its content dynamically to each visitor’s needs.
Key Scene: Sensing the Pulse of Technology through Experience
We firmly believe that the best kind of exhibition is the one that allows the audience to truly immerse themselves in the experience.
Prologue Hall: Creating an Immersive “Ritual Beginning”
As seen in the photos, upon entering the prologue hall, we crafted an opening scene filled with a strong sense of ritual and futurism through the interplay of a circular dome (simulating blue sky and white clouds), a large panoramic screen, and mirror-finished flooring. The use of mirrored tiles not only cleverly resolves the limitation of the original ceiling height but also visually extends the space infinitely. From the very first step, visitors are surrounded by a digital “sky” and its reflection, instantly detaching them from the outside world and immersing them in the narrative realm of “Digital Gusu.” The circular light band reinforces the spatial order, symbolizing the precision and boundlessness of the digital era.
Time Tunnel: Traveling Through the River of Communication Technology
After passing through the foyer, visitors enter the meticulously crafted “Time Tunnel.” As shown in the project photos, we combine immersive projections with mirrored reflections on the side walls and the starry ceiling, completely dissolving the physical boundaries of the space. Visitors feel fully enveloped by the history of communication technology, creating a genuine illusion of “traveling through time.” The design essence of this area lies in the sense of immersion, transforming a dry historical timeline into an emotional journey full of wonder.
Smart Suzhou: Experience the City’s Smart Pulse
Upon entering the Smart Suzhou area, the circular space unfolds with clean, flowing lines, creating a bright and open visual experience. Surrounding walls feature large screens and multi-touch tables that systematically present the diverse aspects of Suzhou’s digital industrialization and smart city development, allowing visitors to explore interactively. The ceiling is lined with an ambient title screen in a blue technological hue, which can switch colors and display content instantly according to the exhibition theme, delivering an immersive and dynamic presentation.
5G Industrial Internet Zone: Experience the Reality of Smart Production
In designing this area, we strive to balance authenticity with a sense of technology. Exposed ceiling pipelines combined with linear lighting instantly establish an industrial-meets-tech atmosphere. On the left, in collaboration with Suzhou Unicom partner Longliqi, we created a real production line display enclosed by transparent railings. Accompanied by large screens showing real-time data, the smart production scenarios empowered by 5G are presented in a vivid and dynamic way. On the right, display platforms accented with blue-purple lighting highlight core technologies such as “secondary node identification and analysis.” As captured in the photos, the entire space connects equipment, data, and technology, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in how 5G is reshaping the industrial ecosystem.
Collaboration & Ecosystem Zone: Showcasing Suzhou’s Vibrant Digital Ecosystem
The collaborative ecosystem area creates an immersive cooperative exhibition space. Staggered linear light strips and surrounding LED screens on the top outline a technologically styled spatial contour, fostering an open and transparent visual atmosphere. The central square LED column serves as the core of the space, breaking the boundaries of traditional flat display and carrying diverse cooperative content in a three-dimensional form.
Centered around themes such as “5Gⁿ Cooperative Ecosystem” and “Super Ecosystem”, it connects cooperative scenarios including Suzhou Shopping Festival, medical and health ecosystem, and cultural and creative industries through wall screens, showcase displays, and interactive installations, facilitating more collaborations and exposures for local enterprises in Suzhou. The technological background in blue-purple tones, complemented by green plants to soften the space, not only echoes the digital attributes of information consumption but also conveys the concept of an open and symbiotic ecosystem. The integrated innovation and unlimited possibilities of Suzhou’s information consumption industry ecosystem strengthen the experiential perception of “co-building the ecosystem and co-creating value”.
Smart Home Zone: The Warmth of Technology in Everyday Life
To convey the value of “information serving everyday life,” we abandoned traditional shelf-style displays and recreated the space based entirely on authentic home layouts. As shown in the photos, sofas, coffee tables, greenery, and smart devices are organically integrated, with the ceiling adorned by shaped lights featuring the Unicom brand symbol. Visitors can step into this “home” and directly experience the application of 5G and IoT technologies across living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and security systems, feeling both the convenience and warmth brought by technology.
The “Harmonious Integration” of Digital and Humanities
How can the grand concepts of “Information Consumption,” “Smart Suzhou,” and “Digitalized Connectivity” become tangible and perceptible? Our answer is not flat, linear displays, but rather a spatial narrative centered on people. Guided by the theme of “Digital + Humanities” and curated with the logic of “a thousand faces for a thousand visitors,” the stories of technology naturally unfold along the visitor’s path, allowing each guest to experience a unique resonance. This ultimately elevates the project’s mission: this space is not only a window into Unicom’s innovative capabilities but also a “city living room,” witnessing how technology deeply integrates into the urban fabric, driving Suzhou toward true ecological co-construction and value co-creation in the digital era.
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