MYZEIL SHOPPING MALL BY FUKSAS

“The MyZeil Shopping Mall covers an area of 77,000 square meters, a structure that includes shops, leisure spaces, kids areas, restaurants, fitness center and parking.

The building is spread over 6 floors, the shopping area from level -1 to the third floor, while from the fourth floor, which serves as a square and meeting place, there are the fitness area and restaurants.

The project comes from geography. It’s like a river that, from above, has got different depths, reaching the depths of the Earth.

The structure of the project stems from a fluid shape that connects the Zeil, an important shopping boulevard in the heart of the city of Frankfurt, with the Thurn und Taxis palace (building reconstructed in historic style).

The two poles of the project, the side of the Zeil and the side of the Thurn und Taxis, are designed differently.

The façade that runs along the Zeil is an expression of leisure, entertainment, relaxation. The other side, instead, maintains a more formal appearance.

The façade on the Zeil is sucked into a great void that makes us see the sky and that invites visitors to enter as sucked into a vortex.

From the ground floor, users can access the various plans through a system of escalators and elevators, and go directly to the fourth floor in 120 seconds through a 45-meter escalator.

Worthy of note is the cover, alternating panels of glass and steel recalling the landscape of the canyon.

This external “shell”, mostly transparent, through a system of voids is for filtering the natural light at all levels of the mall.” Description of Architects.

 

Location: Frankfurt, Germany

Architects: Studio Fuksas - Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas

Engineering:  Structures – Knippers-Helbig Beratende Ingenieure, Stuttgart; Krebs und Kiefer Beratende Ingenieure für das Bauwesen GmbH, Darmstadt | Realization of the façade and covering – Waagner Biro Stahlbau AG, Wien

Surface:  Built Surface – 77,000 sq.m., Facade – 8,500 sq.m., Cover – 13,000 sq.m.
Year: 2002-2009 
Client: PalaisQuartier GmBH & CO., KG

MEDIACITE BY RON ARAD ARCHITECTS

 

“Ron Arad Architects were invited by Wilhelm to design a new shopping mall within the 40,000m2 ‘Mediacite’ development. Situated in Liege, once the world’s foremost centre of steel production and since in economic decline, the building stands out as a symbol of the city’s revitalisation and strives to spearhead the city’s regeneration.

The 350m long mall weaves through the fabric of the refurbished old market centre at one end, through the new two storey building, connecting to the new Belgian national television centre at the other. The design of the roof unites these elements with a complex network of steel roof ribs that undulate through the mall.

 

 

The lattice of steel sculpts the volume of the mall beneath, varying both in height and structural depth to form a variety of differing experiences.  The steel ribs overhead, mirrored in the floor pattern, draw a sinuous pathway pulling you towards and through each of the zones, revealing diverse vistas that surprise along the way.

 

 

As the structure exits the volume of the main building (at the 2 Piazzas and at the link between the old market and new mall) the steel ribs wrap downwards, merging into facade to enclose the building’s envelope. The structure is entirely free-spanning along its length and width, with 200mm wide steel ribs that vary in depth from 1.2m to 300mm, weaving through each other in a deformed grid-like network.

 

 

To minimise loadings the complex 3 dimensional form is clad in transparent lightweight ETFE pillows – pneumatic Teflon cushions which allow light to penetrate the roof while moulding themselves to the irregular structure. As the roof gradually transforms into facade the ETFE cladding merges into curved aluminium rain-screen panels and glass. 

The project was completed to a highly accelerated programme, with a duration of only 34 months from inception to completion. The total built area for the Mall is 9750m2. With a construction budget of €18.75m the project was delivered for €1920/m2. Construction began in April 2007 and the building was inaugurated in October 2009.” Description of Ron Arad Architects.

Location: Liege, Belgium

Architects: Ron Arad Architects

Project Director: Geoff Crowther

Project Architect: Paul Madden

Design Team: Joel Dunmore, Tuomas Pirinen, Marta Granda, James Foster, Julian Gilhespie

Structural Engineer: Buro Happold

Executive Architect: Jaspers Eyers

Main Contractor: BPC

Steel Roof Contractor: Iemants

Client: Wilhelm & Co.

Area: 9,750 sqm

Budget: €18.75M

Year: 2006-2009