Redesign from retail market to shopping centre — Imanuel-Maier-Straße 2, 73257 Köngen, Germany — rund 7,000 m² — 2011 — AWG Allgemeine Warenvertriebs GmbH
Architecture with an exclamation-point!
As part of the trading-up, the former AWG Centre in Köngen became the modern and elegant shopping centre Kö8. The name, by the way, makes reference to its ties with Köngen and its close location near the motorway A8.
The old building's facade was torn down and replaced by a new construction of aluminium slats. Integrated, green, shimmering LED-strips were put in place to form an exclamation point visible from afar after sunset. Where there were once unwelcoming concrete walls, there are now open window displays up to three metres high, inviting the visitors and maximizing transparency. The entrances, as well, were redesigned for . On the eastern side, an awning was added, which forms an architectural unit with the stores across the street. The wide entrance on the western side is linked to a completely rebuilt and graphically reworked underground car park.
Environments that live
In the interior, too, customer comfort meets contemporary design on nearly 7,000 square meters of sales area. The western and eastern entrances are linked thematically by a gentle, elegant curve.
What used to be mere selling floors have turned into lively environments – from exclusive fashion to functional sportswear. These environments stand out from each other visually, highlighting the message of each individual lifestyle brand. For example, “Prio” represents mature, exclusive fashion, while in the trendy “Drehkreuz” hub, teenagers will find their favourite labels – in a cool, industrial-chic atmosphere. Meanwhile, Faction of Sports (F.o.S.) adopts a playing field character, including the ubiquitous chain link fence. Hi-tech details such as LED lights, flat screens and tweet mirrors meet the demands of young, fashion-conscious customers. But even the regular customers of the previous AWG don’t come up short here: They find their favourites, too, in the integrated AWG Center.
