Lead8 is an international design studio shaping mixed-use precincts through architecture, interiors, and urban design. Daji Xiang in Beijing and Parade at One Bangkok in Bangkok each respond to significant urban settings through retail, public space, and cultural identity.

Daji Xiang reimagines a rare and historically significant urban block, once home to renowned scholar Kang Youwei and now part of the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Central Axis, as a richly layered mixed-use precinct anchored by a 50,000m2 retail environment and 12,000m2 of green space. Located in Beijing’s historic Xicheng District, the project balances heritage preservation and modern commercial vitality to create a vibrant urban destination.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Beijing courtyard layouts, the retail development is organised as a carefully woven network of interconnected streets, squares, and pocket parks. Lead8 reinterpreted local elements such as grey tiles, roof eaves, brickwork, and timber within a modern material palette, preserving Beijing’s architectural traditions while reinterpreting them to create an engaging, contemporary environment.

At Parade, the design team developed a transformative retail destination set within One Bangkok, the country’s first LEED Platinum Neighbourhood Development. Positioned between Lumphini Park and Benjakitti Park, Parade delivers a biophilic approach to retail design and a new way to experience the city. Living gardens, terraces, elevated green spaces, semi-open corridors, and green balconies create a pedestrian-friendly journey connecting retail, dining, entertainment, and social spaces. The architecture extends the landscape to the edges of the building, ensuring the arrival areas, balconies, terraces and elevated gardens are not merely decorative but form thriving ecosystems to be experienced by visitors.