Colour-coded: Form follows function in glass mall

13 : 11 : 2013 Luxury : Emporia : Malmä

Malmö – It is not hard to see why the Emporia mall in Malmö, Sweden, won an award in the Shopping Centre category at Inside, an architecture festival featuring global entrants. The outside and inside fluidity of the building, combined with its use of coloured glass, make it a unique proposition in a sector that can seem flat in terms of design.

Architects from Swedish firm Wingårdhs used coloured glass inside and outside of the shopping centre to create a guide for shoppers to navigate through the potentially confusing curved building.

‘Retail is organised around a three-storey figure eight,’ say the architects. ‘Shops are grouped together around a boldly coloured atrium, each with a different theme.’

Zoning in retail spaces is a way to keep consumers focused and engaged without overwhelming them. For another example, read our Seed on the Browns Focus boutique.

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