Liqui’s design team were asked to create something a bit different for a public area within a shopping mall. The space serves as the central hub for the surrounding restaurants. Unusually, for these types of spaces, the ceiling height posed an interesting design problem. The ceiling is low; this is exaggerated by the large expansive space. To solve this problem Liqui’s design team looked at leafy piazzas, town squares and parks for inspiration. They wanted to use this low ceiling to their advantage. The feel of walking under tree canopies with a surrealist edge was the chosen design direction.
In amongst the space were three square supporting pillars. They didn’t really sit well within the overall space so they opted to make a feature of them. The square pillars were made cylindrical and clad with Oak timber slats to create tree like structures. These structures reach up into the ceiling forming tree like canopies. Liqui used the tree like canopies as the primary source of light for the space. Due to the large spaces there is a lack of natural light, so they created lighting installations, designed to mimic sun light. By using programmable LED matrices the right kelvin levels are calibrated to create the illusion of sky. The dappled light and blue tones then pass through the tree canopies.
The surreal tree canopy concept was then taken further. Concentric circles of light radiating from the tree structures were formed from a completely bespoke ceiling solution. It adds to the spectacle of this public space where the light rings are reflected in the white marble floors; adding depth to whole interior space.
The surreal experience of strolling through a park is then completed with the addition of curved pathways mixed with plenty of greenery and lighting. All together, the shopping mall public space design creates a welcoming interior, offering an enjoyable experience of surroundings for people to meet, eat and enjoy some retail therapy.
