mold architects installs a metal curtain wall to display sunglasses in athens eyewear store

on a prominent site in southern athens, mold architects has renovated a 40-year old eyewear store. challenged by a tight area, the project overhauled the existing space to create a new brand identity that showcases the wide array of glasses and sunglasses on offer.

the main interior view / ‘missis pink, missis cyan & mir white’

all images © voumvakis panagiotis

the main idea behind mold architects‘ design was to remove all the existing infrastructure and reimagine the product itself as a structural element, whose repetition would produce the architectural space. the original structure was deconstructed to its basic components, and the resulting eight vertical and horizontal surfaces were grouped into four pairs of surfaces, composed by different materials and serving clearly distinct operations, all of which create a resolved, easily identifiable and functional space.

the sunglasses form the space

the first pair of surfaces – covering the front and one of the main sides of the store – is a metal grid, designed to display sunglasses, mirrors, and company logos. the grid design, fashioned as a metal curtain, was produced by multiplying an original unit in the scale of a pair of glasses. this design recalls an archetypal structural element, namely header bond brickwork. the rigorous structure allows for a greater degree of freedom and a reimagined exhibition of glasses.

sunglasses display / ‘missis cyan and her choices’

the area opposite to the metal curtain wall displays the vision glasses. the architects used the existing drawers (designed to fit 500 glasses), which were formerly spread between all sides of the store. they are no longer used as individual pieces of furniture, but as part of a clear-cut white vertical exhibition surface. the white surface can fold back into the floor, where a three meter long metal table serves to test the glasses.

the metal curtain wall

the third pair of surfaces is a gamma shaped mirror surface, measuring four meters wide, which encompasses the existing attic space and almost disembodies it. this reflective surface enlarges the dimensions of the space. in combination with a linear reflective surface on the floor, it creates an endless repetition of the grid, allowing the visitor to look beyond the disarray that unfolds in front of them and focus on the product.

the mirrored surface creates endless space / ‘missis pink’

barissol lighting was selected for the ceiling and the back of the store. mold architects addressed the challenge of lighting following the logic of abstraction; they converted already existing surfaces into single lighting surfaces and opted for a limited number of objects and lighting sources.

main interior view

finally, the store façade displays a double layer illuminated perforated sheet, colored white and bronze, granting the illusion of depth as the shadows it casts can vary depending on the visitor’s standpoint and the time of day. the perforation of the sheet is based on the pattern of the grid and serves as a prelude to the store interior.

‘no description, no thoughts, no motion for missis cyan’

‘the metal curtain, the reflective and illuminating surfaces, the absence of color, the complete absence of shadows, the minimal presence of objects, the repetitive and reflective patterns, all contribute to the creation of an almost unrealistic space, both symbolic and eerie, with the purpose of highlighting and focusing on the familiar and exuberant product that it aims to showcase.’ –  mold architects.

vision glasses on the other side of the store

the exterior façade / a metal pattern related to the interior concept

façade drawing with the surrounding buildings full of repetition

concept diagram / 4 basic corners, metal-wall-mirror-barissol

conceptual mockup / the start of the design

project info:

project name: centro ottici

location: nea smyrni, athens, greece

architecture firm: mold architects

completion year: 2020

gross built area: 538ft2 (50m2)

lead architects: iliana kerestetzi, konstantinos vlachoulis, aris sfikas

design team: iliana kerestetzi, konstantinos vlachoulis, michail xirokostas

construction: aris sfikas

lighting design: athanassios danilof

metal constructions: qoop

photography: voumvakis panagiotis

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