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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Kulturbau and Mall in Koblenz, Germany by Benthem Crouwel ArchitectsApril 20th, 2013 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Benthem Crouwel Architects The shopping mall ´Forum Mittelrhein´ and the Kulturbau Koblenz, which is constructed now, together form the design for the redevelopment of the Zentralplatz, the central square of Koblenz. The Zentralplatz not only connects the various districts of Koblenz with each other but also has an important function as a public transport interchange and place where various pedestrian flows come together.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner
 Image Courtesy © B. Laubner The mall Forum Mittelrhein presents itself as a flat, horizontal layered structure. Due to this powerful format, the buildings volume is reduced efficiently and a pleasant sense of scale is established. On relevant junctions within the urban fabric, the mall offers spacious entrances and invites to follow the pedestrian flows and to ‘glide’ through the building. The shopping center is characterized by its trapezoidal layout and smooth outlines.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner The areas intertwined with escalators provide orientation points, divide the building and provide the interior with natural light. This, in combination with the great spaciousness gives a high level of amenity and a pleasant ambience for the user. Across the intense colors of the void edges, powerful accentuations are applied, that create a vivid image.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner The sales floors are located on level -1, 0 and +1. In the basement the loading and unloading area is organized in such a way that supplying both buildings can be easily coordinated and done collectively. On the second to the fourth floor there are technical facilities and a parking lot for about 740 cars, that are organized around a central landscaped courtyard.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner The façade design takes the users into account. The lower two floors with the shops have a glass facade as a strip around the building. The standing glass formats and the expressive shaped click frames of the façade profiles, give a strong vertical orientation. The top three floors of the building are dominated by an artificial “Weinlaub facade” (wine leaf facade). The initial idea of the competition to make a natural overgrown facade was developed further artistically and abstractly.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner The basis of the structure is an abstract image of a vine leaf, which is interpreted freely as a 3D-shape. The entire facade is composed out of only one type of element, that is produced in large quantities and high quality in an industrial thermoforming process. Approximately 2,900 identical, three-dimensional shaped aluminum elements, painted in three different shades of green, form this distinctive facade.  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner  Image Courtesy © Jens Kirchner  Image courtesy Benthem Crouwel Architects
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Category: Shopping Mall |
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