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Architects: Dear Design
- Area: 63 m²
- Year: 2009
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Photographs:Pol Cucala
Text description provided by the architects. Situated in one of the best shoppingmalls in the city centre, L'Illa Diagonal, the new flagship store from Lurdes Bergada is divided into two clearly defined areas linking technical aspects of a clothing store behind a "wooden skin" and keeping clothes as the main focus.
The project seeks to preserve the common characteristics of Lurdes Bergada, Syngman Cucala's existing spaces: industrial, different and minimalistic, adding a touch of the contemporary in it's architecture. The principal idea was to open the space and allow a view onto the shopping mall’s park. This would give clients the sensation of shopping in a space full of natural light, as though they were in a street store. Deardesign applies the main philosophy defined by l'Illa Diagonal Mall, interpreting the act of buying in a mall as a "shopping avenue".
The design team decided to bring together all the technical functions of the store (storage, fitting rooms, electrical quarter, and a 2nd small window) in a huge unique wood structure made from 1000 pieces of wood and put together with 2400 screws. The wooden skin allows all large structures to be hidden, therefore leaving the roof clear. From it's interior, the "skin" reveals to visitors all of it's extremely technical constructive secrets, bringing to mind fabric, turn-ups, stitching, etc. This reflects the real importance of technicity in clothes making and enhancing the concepts transmitted by the brand: simplicity, purity, and industry. The installation made of irregular triangles appears rocklike, a contemporary cave.
The natural beechwood stands in contrast with the opposite wall, made of concrete. Each triangle is unique and numbered to make the construction easier. Most existing stores of the brand preserve traces of the history of the buildings in which they are installed. The aim of the project is to respect the original context and to re-enforce the industrial characteristics of the building. Basic materials such as concrete for the walls and fine cement on the floor are used. These simple materials simplify the arquitectural reading of the store and strengthen the concept. Lurdes Bergada and his son Syngman Cucala are well known for the functionality and high quality clothes they design for women and men.
