We decided early on to concentrate on the vertical volume with the maximum permissible gross floor area, so that part of the land area can remain undeveloped. This area will form a kind of plaza, comparable to the public spaces of a European city.
The shape of the building is significantly influenced by the angle of incidence of the local profile. Depending on where the viewer stands, the body of the building will look more like a crystal or like an archaic type of building with a gable roof. The ambivalent, constantly changing and oscillating character of the building's identity is reinforced by the sculptural effect of its glazed surface structure. The diamond-shaped grid on the façade is clad on all sides with a combination of convex, concave or flat glass panes. These different geometries create faceted reflections that allow the viewer inside and outside the building to see ever-changing images and almost cinematographic perspectives of PRADA products, the city and themselves.
However, the grid on the façade is not only an optical illusion, but is actively integrated into the construction technology and supports the ceilings in conjunction with the vertical cores of the building. The horizontal pipes stiffen the structure and also provide more private areas for the changing rooms and checkout on the building's otherwise open, light-filled floors.
The lighting and furniture equipment for the presentation of PRADA products and for visitors has been redesigned especially for this location. The materials are either artificial, such as resin, silicone, and fiberglass, or natural, such as leather, moss, or porous wooden planks. Such contrasting materials prevent a fixed stylistic classification of the place, so that both traditional and radically contemporary aspects appear as self-evident and equal components of today's global culture.
*Source: Herzog & de Meuron
Pictures: Johannes Marburg
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