The concept is based on the geometric form of the letter U turned by 90°. A mirrored copy of the form, but not of the height, is set-off by approx. 10 m, and put into the existing U. This creates transparencies across rooms in the tradition of Colin Rowe.
The main access ways are aligned in these tracks. The northern cantilever projects over the walkway and invites people to stroll even in bad weather. The building is explored from the West. The doors are 3.50m high, and made of aluminium just as the floor. In the entrance area, the outlet center opens out to the visitor with a room of 11.50m height. The entrance hall leads directly to the sales room where the goods are presented in a generous, spacey room. The load-bearing walls are 60cm thick. Hollow ceilings allow to span at least 10m (as in the America´s Cup Building in Valencia, Chipperfield; pre-gaps might have to be foreseen between the ribs as required). The core accommodating the emergency stairway takes over a “leading role”.
The warehouse is located in the eastern section of the building. Functionally it is designed as a high-shelve warehouse. The catering stations are on the 2nd floor with a wide, spacey roof terrace. The kitchen is on top of the warehouse. The facades of the two Us have been treated differently. The lower U is made of fair-faced concrete with facing formwork. The U above that is panelled with photo-voltaic boards, rendering an essential contribution for energy recovery in the building.