After four years in development, Nave de Vero, an ultra-modern shopping centre designed by architects Design International for Italian/Dutch investor, Cório, opened its doors in Marghera, Venice in April 2014.

Designed by visionary retail architect, Davide Padoa (CEO of Design International) and a highly experienced team, the concept behind Nave de Vero is based on Venice’s merchant trading history, bringing the maritime power of the old Venetian empire back to modern life.

“La Nave”- the ship- makes up part of the complex’s grand main entrance as it dramatically emerges out of the building, welcoming shoppers in. The feature is now Italy’s tallest glass atrium within a shopping destination.

Moving further into the shopping mall, shoppers will find “Il Faro”- the lighthouse-, which pays homage to the most famous feature of the harbour of Chania on the island of Crete, which was built by the Venetians between 1320 and 1356.

Venice, when viewed from the air, reveals a vast network of Campo and Calle – squares and streets-, a series of places linked by short alleyways. “La Citta”- The City- , the final main feature of the project, takes its layout inspiration from this network and connects shoppers with a restaurant court, the Piazza de Vero, that whilst is contemporary in design, is reminiscent of the atmosphere found in the old city.

Padoa takes great pride in the project, which was also recently certified as “very good” under the BREEAM assessment method of building sustainability.

“This project has always been close to our hearts at Design International. By infusing the essence of a historical period in time that evokes a great sense of pride into its design, I believe Nave de Vero will become a central meeting point within its community. With sustainability being a key component of the project’s goals, I’m extremely proud of the outcome as it truly goes to show that with a great team, sustainability, architectural design and commercial interests can blend together seamlessly.” Says Padoa.

Nave de Vero has a GLA of 39,000msq features 116 shops, anchored by Zara, Mediaworld, Coop&Coop and many others.