Flowing spaces and soft atmospheres

The Moscow-based practice Blank Architects consists of a group of young professionals specialising in the field of shopping centre design. In the space of just a few years they have gained considerable experience and established a strong reputation in this rapidly expanding segment of the Russian building market.
The Troyka Shopping Centre in Moscow, opened in 2008, clearly exemplifies this approach.
Located to the northeast of the city centre in an area well served by public transport and major roads, the Troyka Shopping Centre is easily accessible both from nearby districts and from the more distant areas of the capital.
Designed to meet the needs of a dynamic and modern clientele, the Troyka Shopping Centre adopts a well-proven layout that enables it to offer a wide and highly diversified range of purchasing opportunities. It features a two-level hypermarket, a building materials and interior finishings centre, a large sports shop and 98 fashion and accessories stores, as well as a range of functional and service areas that guarantee an enjoyable and relaxing retail experience.
Flooded with natural light from a large skylight, the top floor houses a food court with twelve restaurants and numerous bars that look out over the city, offering a splendid panoramic view for people enjoying a relaxing lunch or coffee break.
The spaces inside the building stand out for their fluid shapes, dynamic lines, flowing volumes and soft atmospheres, guiding customers as they move intuitively through every area of the shopping centre.
The interior architecture consists of a complex structure traversed by a system of walkways and interconnections to the various levels, maintained in constant visual contact with each other. Starting out from the two main halls, the distribution layout runs fluidly along the terraced floors overlooking the full-height central volume.
The rational layout of the stairs and escalators, as well as the bridge structures, encourage shoppers to move around and visit all levels of the centre.
The dynamic yet unified design of the ceramic surfaces adopted on the walkways, in the functional and service areas and in the transit and rest spaces follows the sinuous movement of the spaces, accentuating the expressive characteristics of the architecture. The floor covering ebbs and flows in its colour intensity, combining soft grey tones and sophisticated warm shades with a range of finishes. The real stars of this floor design are the fully-vitrified porcelain tiles from the Granitogres line (Marte series) and Pietre Native line (Meteor series) produced by Casalgrande Padana.