Honorable Mention - New or Renovated Store, More than 5,000 Sq. Ft.
TPG Architecture and El Palacio de Hierro Store Planning and Design team designed the interior of the 215,000-sq.-ft. two-story flagship El Pacio de Hierro store in Villahermosa, Mexico. The retailer traces its roots back to 1850, when it opened under the name Las Faricas de Francia in Mexico City in a structure that came to be known as “The Iron Palace.”
Since the store is known for its luxurious, service-oriented shopping experience, the architecture and design team tried to create a warm, elegant and inviting environment. They created an expansive atrium, with two striated white marble-clad mall entries and a café. The materials for the store were chosen with Villahermoso’s tropical climate in mind, and included marble, porcelain tile, bleached wood and glass.
An atrium with escalators and a large video tower surrounded by luxury retail shops forms the heart of the first floor. The atrium itself is surrounded by a collection of elliptical-shaped departments for women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories. The floor plan, configured as a series of rooms flowing into adjacent rooms without traditional aisles, encourages shoppers to move fluidly throughout the store. On the second floor, men’s fashion, technology and other departments radiate out from a large elliptical center that showcases the home/furniture department. The floor contains an addition café with an outdoor terrace.
For the atrium at the core of the building, TPG created a dramatic sculpural focal point with a collection of 480 curved satin aluminium fins, 12 feet tall and ½ inches thick, set around the perimeter of the atrium in three layers and drawing the eye up to the third floor skylight.
The project followed an extremely aggressive schedule, with ground-up construction completed within 10 months.
Credits
Project Name: El Palacio De Hierro
Location: Villahermosa, Mexico
Size: 215,000 sq. ft.
Architect: TPG Architecture
Exterior Architect: Grupo Sordo Madaleno
Developer/Owner: El Palacio De Hierro
General Contractor: El Palacio De Hierro
Construction Manager: Rioboo
Design Consultants: T. Kondos Associates; Ideas en Luz
Interior Contractor and Custom Millwork: STOR
Flooring: Porcelanosa
Customer Service Wall Panels: B&N Industries
Maternity Decorative Moldings: Decorators Supply Corp.
Sports and REFUSE Fixturing: Alu, Romano d'Ezzelino (VI)
Shoe Department Carpet: Tandus
FR Wallpaper: Trove, Elitis
Wallpaper: Anya Larkin; MDC Wallcoverings
Cosmetics Decorative Pendants, Custom Children’s Ceiling Elements: 3Form
Veneer for Fixture Displays: TABU S.p.A.
Children’s Fixtures: Formica
Display Fixture Laminate Finish: Liri
Wall Finish in Elevator Lobbies: Scuffmaster
Customer Service Pendants: Foscarini, Marcon (VE)
Clouds for Infantiles: Molo Design
Pendants for Intimo: Terzani S.R.L.
Pendants for Playa: Niche Modern
Pendants for Caballeros Shoes: Fabulux Inc.
Pendants for Caballeros: Restoration Hardware