in studio DW5, epfl, 2008
preamble
about
reinterpreting the mall typology in the context of kuwait
an organic form born of the aggregation of 5x5m modules in three dimensions.
built on prefabricated steel poles and beams with panels of prefabricated concrete, allowing unlimited growth into a labyrthine volumetry for protection from the desert climate.
the roof decks of the ground floor shops are accessible terraces, or advertising spaces when inaccessible.
in the summer, shading textiles can be hung over them, transforming the mall into a giant patchwork market.
circulation spaces between stores on the ground floor are covered with glass, and evolve in time, sandstorm after sandstorm.
scenario
view from the highway. hazy silhouettes emerge from the sinuous desert horizon
the fleeting image escapes you, dissolved in your speed. look back in the car mirror. what is rising from the dust?
a road appears ahead. take it; it takes you. enter the long tunnel. where did you come from? where are you going?
after your journey in the dark, you pierce into the brightly lit air-conditioned space, you have been conditioned.the light keeps changing, how much time has passed since you first came? one sandstorm, two or fifty six?
distribution diagrams
////basement/parking//// ground floor /shops, first level/food court, second level/restaurants and coffee shops, third and fourth level/fine dining, fifth to twelfth/mosque
model photos
