Based on the competition won by OMA in 2016 for the reorganization of KaDeWe, we, studio karhard®, were commissioned to redesign two quadrants of the food floor „die Sechste". We were particularly pleased as we didn't have much experience with the design of retail areas of this scope before, but of course like most Berliners we have a personal connection to the KaDeWe as the consumer temple of Berlin. The design of quadrants C & D on the sixth floor resembles the organization of a city with the elements of roads, squares and facades. Durable and authentic materials were used with the aim of accentuating the goods.
What is innovative compared to the previous layout is the fact that we have compressed the sales areas in order to be able to generate more space for footpaths and viewpoints. The presentation of goods in the sweets sector was particularly challenging as sweets come in a wide variety of formats, materials and sizes. Our solution was a gondola system in which the sweets are being presented. Suspended from a rail structure, the single gondolas can constantly be rearranged, groups can be formed, paths and spaces can be defined. Their colour scheme is based on colourful sweets packaging.
This required a particularly high level of creativity, since we had to develop this gondola lift as a prototype from scratch. Together with a metal worker and the client we sampled it in order to then develop a construction method that met the requirements. We have taken special care in guiding the customers along a varied and exciting route through the departments.
Throughout the space many different materials have been combined. These include differently coloured terrazzo floor coverings, steel and wood systems for the wine racks, a metal construction for the sweets gondola system and various counters for bread and cakes made of natural stone and built-in display cases. In both quadrants we have used bricks as a structuring element.
We paid special attention to the functionality of the sweets gondolas because they have to work for differently sized packaging and multiple colours of the goods, so an overall concept has been developed which can be adapted time and again. Sustainability also plays a major role in the design, so we tried to cooperate with as many local companies as possible for the implementation, promoting long-lasting and genuine materials that are easy to clean and immune to damage. As there are some restaurant areas on the food floor, our task also included designing some adjoining rooms. With an inclusive approach we made sure to create accessible washrooms for everyone.
Team:
Light Planning – Sekles Lichtplanung
Kitchen Planning – K3
