OMA proposes an unbelievable extension for Berlin's KaDeWe store
19/01/2016.
[BER] Germany
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
The Rotterdam-based OMA firm, led by Rem Koolhaas, received the commission to renovate and extend the Berlin's KaDeWe store (Kaufhaus des Westens), a century-old building with 60,000 square metres of retail space, with the addition of a glass rooftop extension and the introduction a series of sculptural new staircases.
Model. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Rendering, inside vision. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Rendering, inside vision. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Rendering, inside vision. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Model plan. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Model. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Rendering. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Outside night vision, rendering. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Model. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Diagram. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Diagram. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Historical process. Diagram. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
Brand. Diagram. New KaDeWe Store by OMA. Image courtesy of OMA.
The transformation project, proposed by OMA, treats the structure as four connected shops, redefining its curren model and relationship with its patrons and with its physical and urban environments. OMA introduces four quadrants or four connected shops, each with its own entrance and circulation spaces. The aim is for each "quadrant" to have its own identity. The new fragments are similar to distinct urban sectors embedded into a unified city fabric.
Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe), the Historic Berlin Department Store, to be Renovated by OMA
The renovation plans of the historic Berlin department store Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) by OMA have been unveiled.
Department stores were one of the pillars of early modern retail, acting as an incubator for sophisticated crafts, social exchange and challenging experimentation in services. The transformation will address KaDeWe’s desire to redefine its current model, and relationship with its patrons and with its physical and urban environments.
OMA’s proposal is tactical: rather than treating the existing building as a singular mass, the project introduces four quadrants. The new components fragment the original mass into smaller, easily accessible and navigable components – similar to distinct urban sectors embedded into a unified city fabric.
With this project, OMA addresses accelerating shifts in consumer behavior and the challenges brought by online retail that have affected the tradition department store model.
In addition to a new building for the Axel Springer media group, this is OMA’s second ongoing project in Berlin. Built projects in Berlin include the Netherlands Embassy (2003) and Checkpoint Charlie Apartments (1990).
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Architects.- OMA. Rem Koolhaas, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli. Associate.- Alex de Jong.
Concept team.- Giacomo Ardesio, Sandra Bsat, Janna Bystrykh, Paul Cournet, Alice Grégoire, Piotr Janus, Aleksandar Joksimovic, Francesca Lantieri, Barbara Materia, Romea Muryn, Salome Nikuradze, Alessandro De Santis, Miguel Taborda.
Design Development team.- Sandra Bsat, Mariano Sagasta Garcia, Luis Guzman Grossberger, Aleksandar Joksimovic, Felix Perasso, Rita L. Álvarez-Tabío Togores.
Collaborators.- Management: SMV Bauprojektsteuerung Ingenieursgesellschaft. Structural Engineer: IBK Ing. - Büro für Tragwerksplanung. Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineers: IBT Ingenieurbüro Trache. Local Architects: Architekturbüro Udo Landgraf, Heine Architekten Partnerschaft.
More information
OMA. Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural analysis. OMA's buildings and masterplans around the world insist on intelligent forms while inventing new possibilities for content and everyday use. OMA is led by ten partners – Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, David Gianotten, Chris van Duijn, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Jason Long and Michael Kokora – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha and Dubai.
OMA-designed buildings currently under construction include Taipei Performing Arts Centre, Qatar National Library, Qatar Foundation Headquarters, Bibliothèque Multimédia à Vocation Régionale in Caen, Fondation d’Entreprise Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Bryghusprojektet in Copenhagen, Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, and Faena Arts Center in Miami.
OMA's recently completed projects include Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2015); Fondazione Prada in Milan (2015); G-Star Headquarters in Amsterdam (2014); Shenzhen Stock Exchange (2013); De Rotterdam, a large mixed-use tower in the Netherlands (2013); CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012); New Court, the headquarters for Rothschild Bank in London (2011); Milstein Hall at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York (2011); and Maggie's Centre, a cancer care centre in Glasgow (2011). Earlier buildings include Casa da Música in Porto (2005), Seattle Central Library (2004), and Netherlands Embassy in Berlin (2003).
