Project
Vittorio Grassi Architects & DCA Partners
Client
Private
Period
2017 - in progress
Result
1st Prize
Gross Floor Area
132,000 sqm
Site Area
100,000 sqm
The new large shopping center was conceived to become the beating heart of the entire urban area, positioning itself not only as a commercial hub but as a true socio-cultural attraction for the community.
Embedded within a broader urban design framework and aligned with the most advanced international masterplans, the project represents a strategic shopping center architecture intervention, capable of combining economic, social, and cultural functions within a single integrated system.
The structure, distinguished by its characteristic crescent shape, is positioned alongside a contemporary Food Court, reinforcing the complex’s social and gathering-oriented vocation. At ground level, a multifunctional exhibition hall hosts public events and cultural initiatives; on the first floor, restaurants and an art gallery with a tea room expand the experiential offering.
The complex also includes four underground levels: two dedicated to commercial functions, including a shopping center, supermarket, and cinema, and two allocated to parking facilities, ensuring accessibility and functionality for the entire shopping center architecture system.
From an architectural perspective, each floor has its own specific identity while maintaining formal coherence through five key elements: white and transparency as dominant values; the use of curved lines to generate a dynamic spatial journey; a warm atmosphere achieved through carefully selected materials; references to organic forms; and the use of differentiated textures.
This design choice enhances the perceptual quality of the experience and confirms the attention to detail typical of projects also presented within the context of architecture competitions.
In the large square in front of the shopping center, an equipped urban park unfolds with pavilions dedicated to sports, cultural, and recreational activities, integrating the urban design project with public realm interventions that enhance the quality of the space and encourage social interaction.
The entire area is conceived as an open and inclusive system, where architecture and public space engage in a continuous dialogue.
The marine theme recurs throughout the project, both through forms inspired by aquatic animals and through the presence of a large aquarium that extends vertically along the full height of the hall, becoming both a scenographic feature and a symbolic element of the intervention.
Within the square rises a forty-meter-high iconic tower with a dual function: it serves as a recognizable urban landmark for those arriving at the site and contributes significantly to the overall energy efficiency of the complex.
The tower is designed to channel the wind coming from the north and direct it into the underground levels, generating a natural cooling effect. During nighttime hours, it also allows hot air to be expelled outward, thereby improving the building’s overall environmental performance.
To ensure full environmental sustainability, the project предусматриes the installation of numerous solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system, and the use of light-colored finishes on surfaces most exposed to the sun, consolidating the complex’s role as a contemporary benchmark in the field of shopping center architecture and among the most advanced international urban design interventions.
