— Shopping Center in Vladimir
Abi Mall is a new retail and entertainment center in Vladimir which will be a part of a new urban area on the way to Suzdal. The building will occupie a site located at the intersection of two large transport ways working both in the city scale and as long-distance transport links. Construction of a residential area is planned in the north part of the site.
Our purpose was to suggest a modern individual design through an idea of circle perfection to create the atmosphere of infinity shopping opportunities. The mall will provid retail and catering facilities, a cinema, a multifunctional center, an entertainment and leisure zone and an office block.
Concept — Multiple Silhouettes
the site - 27 ha
round
circles
facades
landmark
The shape of the shopping center is based on the ring as an ideal figure. The intersection of the rings in the plan forms the layout of the object, creating a streamlined volume that allows you to escape the traditional perception of the main and secondary facade.Particular attention is paid to the visual perception of the object from a distance. This purpose is achieved by the landing of the object on the site, the multiple silhouettes of the building, emphasized entrance zones and the media facades.
The composition of the building consists of compound cylindrical volumes. For the functional and technological reasons, some walls are straightened. Such a transition emphasizes the entrance zones in the “round” parts of the object and simplifies the minor fragments of the facade. This forms landmarks for visitors.
Exterior and Inerior — Circle Perfection
GBA 84 400 sq.m.
GLA 75 000 sq.m.
combination
geometry
color
park
amphitheater
All 5 entrance areas have significant area of glazing, creating a visual connection between the exterior and interior, providing a good level of natural lighting and a presentable view of the entrance areas. The combination of different materials meets the complex geometry and color scheme of the entrances and strengthens them.
The northern entrance is focused on the main public space of the shopping center which is passing into the park. It will provide pedestrian connection of the center with the future residential area in the north. An amphitheater with a dry fountain and space for events is planned on this square.
The office block was designed according to characteristics of its typological group. The geometrical chess pattern of blank walls and glazing adds additional diversity to the overall solution of the facades of the mall, reflecting its multifunctionality.
Landscape — Discrepancy of Сircles
Area: 1,9 Ha
Outdoor amphitheatre
Special character tree: Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum
Tree alignments: Tilia
Clumps of trees: Pinus sylvestris
Ornemental orchard: Pear trees, Apple trees
Ladscape project was made in collaboration with Djao-Rakitine Landscape Architecture.
Principles we use here: Pre-treatment steps, such as vegetated swales (ditches) or filter trenches, remove pollutants from surface water prior to discharge to watercourses or aquifers. Retention systems delay the discharge of surface water to watercourses by providing storage within ponds, retention basins and wetlands for example. Infiltration systems, such as infiltration trenches and soakaways mimic natural recharge, allowing water to soak into the ground.
Company leaders desired a new office/headquarters that would serve as a refuge from the industrial agribusiness landscape that surround them. The concept seeks to capture the essence of an utilitarian agricultural aesthetic. The design merges rural vernacular with an equally spare contemporary aesthetic. The landscape is a reinterpretation of an agricultural field and orchard.
Conversation —
Unique facades
Shopping center seems like a very large structure. When you were designing it, what kind of customers did you have in mind?
I would say that it seems more than just large when you realize that it will be situated in Vladimir, city with population of 350 thousands of people. Actually we were thinking about wide range of people groups categories. The area of shopping mall is about 86 thousands square meters. It can provide every necessary products and services for any people, no matter if it single young persons or families with children or elderly people.
What is it about the new that makes project Abi Mall different from other shopping malls?
The shopping mall is situated on the intersection of two big federal roads (at the south and west). The new residential area will appear at the north of the shopping mall. That means that it could not have no front and back facades. All of them should be significant. So we were to provide 360 degrees attractive building that will attract people from the long distance and will became the starting point of new district development.
Did you face any special challenges while designing it that required especially innovative solutions?
Based on all of the above we focused our attention on designing significant entrance zones that will become the shopping mall visit card. In the same time the budget of the building was clearly established by the client and we could not exceed it. So we made detailed market research to define positions that can be optimized to free up the budget for the entrance zones. It was a great experience (laughing).
And a question about all esthetics of exterior and interior. What steps were taken to balance the busyness of the
First of all we defined what the main features of the façade and interior esthetics are. So we clearly realized where we can economize and where we can’t. I mean that we produced the clear plan of work before making any further steps. That helped us to save the main architectural ideas along the whole designing process despite of budget limitation.
What kind of materials and systems you’ve used on the facades, what problems did you face to find the best solution for making such complicated forms for entrances?
Each entrance zone is the unique form that consists of spatial metal structure and aluminum sheets skin. Metal structure is the node-rod spatial system. To produce the right form every rods connector has unique form and must to be produced on laser machine. The spatial shape overhangs the entrance area. So it was very important to design waterproofing of panel joints. Besides of it we installed the lighting system into the façade panels. That gave the new visual quality to the façade during the night time.