MyZeil Shopping Mall / Studio Fuksas

De jc - junio 12, 2012

Architects: Studio Fuksas - Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas
Interior Design: Fuksas Design
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Address: Grosse Eschenheimer Strasse 10-14
Period: 2002-2009
Client: PalaisQuartier GmBH & CO., KG
Surface: Built Surface – 77,000 sq.m., Facade – 8,500 sq.m., Cover – 13,000 sq.m.
Engineering: Structures – Knippers-Helbig Beratende Ingenieure, Stuttgart; Krebs und Kiefer Beratende Ingenieure für das Bauwesen GmbH, Darmstadt | Realization of the façade and covering – Waagner Biro Stahlbau AG, Wien

MyZeil Shopping Mall is a project designed by Studio Fuksas in Frankfurt, Germany in 2009. The sculptural glass facade creates impressive and dynamic spaces within the public atriums, creating a unique environment for a common activity. The 77,000 square meter structure includes shops, leisure spaces, kids areas, restaurants, fitness center and parking.

The design is inspired by geography and topography. The facade is conceived as a river that has different depths reaching into the Earth. The structure is inspired by the historical context of the site. The fluid shape comes from the connection of the Zeil, the shopping boulevard in the heart of Frankfurt, and the Thurn and Taxis palace. The two facades on opposite ends of the building are designed to evoke the two distinct senses of the city. The modern city on the facade running along the Zeil expresses leisure, entertainment and relaxation. The historic-facing facade maintains a formal appearance.

On the side of the Zeil the building has an internalizing quality. The facade challenges the exterior-interior distinction with a void that is pulled into the atrium of the mall, looking very much like a vortex. The facade is designed with alternating panels of the glass and steel. Mostly transparent, it floods all levels of the mall with natural sunlight. The shopping mall is spread over six floors and includes a square and meeting place that also has a fitness area and restaurants. It is an interior public plaza that is absorbed into the program of the building.