The architects won a competition to design a new façade, landscape, roofscape and interior for a shopping centre that was already under construction, the client being dissatisfied with the original design. They simplified the five-storey mall’s massing to create a smooth, neutral surface, counteracting the chaos of the neighbourhood. The glass façades disappear in reflections of surrounding trees and echoes of nearby mountains by day, and make the building a luminous object by night. Light-grey granite steps down the sloping site extend into long benches, creating an outdoor public auditorium that connects to the sidewalk and encourages social interaction. Reconnecting the previously separate east and south wings through continuous floor and ceiling lines was key to the interior redesign.
Source : Aga Khan Trust for Culture
