Project Description
Inspired by the colourful heart of Wrocław, the concept references the architectural heritage and distinctive colour of the city in a highly contemporary store design.
As the shop is not a walkthrough store, the first challenge was to ensure passengers were aware of the main store as early as possible. Each shopfront was therefore opened up, whilst still providing enough back wall-space.
A leitmotif was created for the stores inspired by the Gothic gable ends of the buildings of Wroclaw. The colours came from the facades prevalent in the main old town square. From this, the logo of the store was born—Wroclaw Duty Free.
These ‘facets of colour’ were used to create striking three-dimensional canopies within the stores. A new generation of fixtures was designed for these stores, giving a crisp contemporary look and feel focusing on the product. In the Spirit of Poland shop, the sense of place was enhanced using warm stone ’setts’ similar to those found around the city and local famous pattern from the Bolesławiec region.
It was important for the designs to have a synergy with the airport. The black glass concourse facade was extended to create organic openings to the shopfronts with a reveal of timber ‘ribs’ to give an overall softer entrance feeling.
The corner of the main store was removed so that passengers coming up the stairs from security would see the offers as they moved up.
Wroclaw is known nationwide for its handmade pottery with distinctive blue and white glazed patterns. You can see the triangulated forms lined with this pattern in the ceiling designs.
“At the beginning of the process, we visited Wroclaw and took a tour around this historic city to get a feel for its spirit. There are many unique qualities to Wroclaw, from the many bridges over the waterways, to the 250 ‘Krasnoludek’ — a mythological dwarf figurine found in the most unexpected parts of the city.”
Nick Taylor, Director of Design, The Design Solution
