Mercator Centre Maribor is located in a densely populated
part of Maribor, which distinguishes it from typical suburban
retail centres. The large centre is therefore more open, has
several entrances, oriented not only to visitors who come
by car but also to pedestrians. Entrances are typologically
accentuated and stand out from the neutral sheath. They lead
into interior malls and squares, creating an urban experience
of a real city. With the uncontrolled versatility of visual
impulses from the shops left and right we devoted our attention
to design of the floor and ceiling, which bring some architectural
articulation into the diversified space. The floor is defined
by sand-coloured ceramics with a diagonal darker path leading
from one side to the other and back. This space is bordered
in black, advising that beyond the border we cross into heterogeneous
impulses of shops. Even more expression is introduced in the
ceiling, which is transformed from a surface into volume with
the use of lighting fixtures, developed especially for the
project. Ceiling reflects the dynamic of motion through the
forest. Each light is the size of an adult man; the dynamics
of drafted paths leads them through the entire building. Thus,
the mall is always full, giving a good sensation to the visitors.
This expression was reached in a very empirical way: the inspiration
came from the question of how to reduce the use of energy
needed to operate the building. The level of light was lowered
for 1.80 meters, the size of tubular lights. This reduced
the energy necessary for illumination by 20% compared to lights
fixed directly to the ceiling.
As the centre is surrounded by high rise buildings, its fifth
facade - roof - also plays a significant role. The entire
roof is green, providing adjoining residents with the view
of a park as well as preventing the effect of heat island.
The large amount of HVAC equipment on the roof would normally
provide a visual disturbance as well a source of noise; these
disturbances are neutralized by enveloping the equipment with
large wooden cylinders. Positioned on the green roof, the
cylinders function as pavilions freely distributed in the
park.
Contrary to general practice in our cultural environment,
the client briefed us in advance of the limited construction
budget and expectations of low energy consumption. This has
turned out to be a challenge of constant search for creative
solutions - we prepared projects for building that set new
standards regarding investment value and running costs. Sustainable
design was not understood as a restriction, but as a source
of inspiration.
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