meets
PAU
Experiential journey through a nine-square grid.
City
Valencia, Spain
Program
Retail
Type
Private commission
Year
2020
Status
Built
Client
PAU
Photography
David Zarzoso

Located in the heart of Valencia, the new space for the PAU brand is conceived as its flagship store. Through a deep process of experimentation, it is designed from the new brand identity to the complete definition of the new sales space.

This space reinterprets and finds inspiration in the old 18th and 19th century palaces where the concatenation of rooms enhanced the spatial experience. The square plan is divided into a grid of nine spaces, 8 rooms + 1. As a result, each of these nine perfect squares receives a particular character. The flexibility of this system makes it possible to indistinctly combine the exhibition of collections, the celebration of events or the occasional private sale. The sequence of crossed perspectives enhances the museum character of the space while offering a scenographic and flexible presentation of the products for sale.

Analyzing the nine rooms, the central space is the one that adopts a characteristic identity since it manifests its uniqueness through color. In addition, it acts as a nexus; on the one hand, it vertically connects the two floors and, on the other, it organizes and articulates the eight perimeter spaces. Inside, an astonishing staircase, conceived as a red micro-terrace sculpture, becomes the central element of the project.

This interest in the use of geometry is also transferred to the rest of the rooms. Pure volumes of neutral micro-terraces are designed to enhance the products displayed there. Likewise, the crosses between rooms are framed by a local Valencian stone cladding. This action emphasizes the geometric forcefulness of the transitions and accentuates their depth.

In short, this original space invites us to reflect on the new sales codes, and proposes a shopping experience based on spatial rotundity and material quality of its atmospheres.

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