Echo Retail Complex in Kielce is one of the largest shopping centers in Poland. The building is located at the crossing of Swietokrzyska and Solidarnosci streets in Kielce (ca. 200 000 inhabitants, central Poland). The retail complex was erected as a redevelopment and refurbishment of an existing shopping mall.
The aim of the refurbishment was not only to enrich the commercial offer of the center. We tried to live up to expectations of the client who understood the redevelopment of the mall as an opportunity for a vital urban regeneration of this area.
All architectural means that we applied aim to recall a pleasant downtown experience of strolling on the city squares and shopping streets.
The challenging but inevitable part of design in case of retail buildings is the subject of advertisement. We hoped to prevent the object from a process of chaotic adverts placement. Therefore, all visible elements of advertising were controlled and integrated with architecture.
The volume of the mall is distinguished by a dynamic elliptical form. The ellipse has got double skin facade and few hundreds light lines hidden in it. After the sunset, the ellipse gets illuminated and becomes a programmable light screen.
The walkways of the mall are covered with skylights so that the customers can enjoy daylight even when being inside.
Inner facades differ in details and cladding materials, while the shop windows and balustrade of passages can be read as facades of luxurious department stores. Interior of the mall is also distinguished by individually designed furniture and kiosks.
