One Fashion Outlet is a £62million three–phrase project located in the Trnava region, 47km to the north–east of Bratislava, and aims to create a pivotal outlet centre for the region by attracting top fashion brands from all over Europe.
Phase one consists of approximately 15,800m² of retail space, and phases two and three around 10,000m² each.
The site will feature a continuous covered shopping street punctuated by a series of open squares, as well as deep timber-clad arcades and courtyards with plants and water features to allow a leisurely and relaxed shopping experience.
Drawing it all together is the main square, focussed on a landscaped lake, around which are restaurants with large west-facing terraces, timber-decked bridges and floating pavilions.
The car park will accommodate 2,400 vehicles, and has been designed as a landscaped area with a six-meter wide tree-lined ‘green’ pedestrian route gently curving between the cars. This route winds around the lake edge and leads over timber-decked bridges to the spacious retail entrances, where the landscape flows into the streets and squares.
Natasha Chibireva, associate at Holder Mathias, says: “One of the challenges here was to create a shopping outlet flexible enough to work through different seasons. We wanted outside and inside elements to flow naturally and not compromise the key idea of the design, which was to make a clear connection with the wonderful landscape around.
“We had to make a covered street to protect shoppers from winter weather, but we didn’t want to make something like a conventional giant shopping mall as this would feel too confined. So, we assembled a diversity of spaces that includes open entrances flanked with arcades, and the break out spaces of the courtyards. The light fully-glazed roof over the streets and entirely naturally ventilated environment add to this open feel.
“We also wanted to emphasise the ‘green’ aspect of the scheme, so we used elements like glulam timber beams, timber cladding and louvers. Together with the sloping green roofs, they accentuate the synergy between the building and surrounding landscape.”
One Fashion Outlet has been positioned to take advantage of excellent transport links, with the outlet visible and directly accessed from the D1 motorway linking Bratislava with the rest of Slovakia. The motorway also connects significant traffic between Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The Trnava region has also been identified as a development hotspot in an in-depth study by experienced tourism consultancy Contor. Assessing 1,000 European regions for suitability for investment, the study concluded that the area’s secure markets ranked Trnava as number 10 in the list.
The development adds to Holder Mathias’s growing portfolio of European retail projects that has seen it design seven major outlets across Europe, including Designer Outlet Brennero, Italy, and Villages des Alpes, Bellegarde.
The practice is also working on schemes in Denmark, Hungary, Ukraine and Finland.
Holder Mathias managing director, Peter Gamble, says: “As a practice we are at the forefront of outlet design. One Fashion Outlet was founded on our experience in successfully delivering this type of scheme across Europe. This is an area of increasing business for us with further retail projects in the pipeline, which proves that specialist skills are exportable.”
16/06/2010