Iñaki Echeverria
2012
Jaime Navarro, Luis Gordoa, Ivan Parra
The objective was to design a modern and dynamic facade that would give a new image to the largest department store in Mexico.
The challenge of the project was to find a simple and efficient construction system that would speed up the process of production, assembly and installation of the façade and at the same time result in a complex and interesting proposal.
In response to the tropical climate of the region, with extreme levels of sunlight and humidity, concrete was chosen as the design material; a resistant material with an extraordinary aging capacity, which would seek to create a new image for Liverpool through the development of innovative construction technologies.
The image solution emerged from a research and development process where the potential of concrete's ability to perform complex geometries is explored. The result is a facade that is built by combining 5 types of precast concrete pieces in the shape of a helix. Each propeller rotates 180 ° on its own axis; heights vary between 16 and 20 meters, depending on its location.
These simple and controlled variations create numerous results for each piece, which together provide a unique image for the facade. Additionally, the light changes during the day, and the artificial lighting at night, provide the facade with a play of color, reflections and shadows, achieving an image that is never static, always changing.