We were given the task of designing the façade of a shopping mall already under construction. First of all we had to deal with the fact that it was not possible to change the volumes and that we had to work just with certain technologies and within an already fixed budget. At first sight the scenario was quite depressing and not very stimulating. What we did was to develop a simple idea and to transform it into a system that could support the façade design, the identity of the mall and the signage.

We were given the task of designing the façade of a shopping mall already under construction. First of all we had to deal with the fact that it was not possible to change the volumes and that we had to work just with certain technologies and within an already fixed budget. At first sight the scenario was quite depressing and not very stimulating. What we did was to develop a simple idea and to transform it into a system that could support the façade design, the identity of the mall and the signage.

The main horizontal rows, made of 6/7 vertical tiles, unfold a variable sequence of types, turning the existing massive volumes into more dynamic ones. The two textures reflect the light differently, making the façade vibrating.The colours and the textures of the tiles refer to the landscape visible from the mall; the Ortobene Mountain inspired the use of a beige-brown-dark greyand light grey palette, and though the façade differs from the surrounding town districts, on a larger scale it establishes a relationship with the landscape.