Going straight to the centre of Kyiv from the Boryspil international airport along Bazhan Avenue you will unmistakably hit the flagship gas station KLO, where Dmytro Aranchii Architects designed the shell of the main facade and interior design.
MAIN IDEA
There are two parts of the facade's shell: the first layer is a folded facade (on all building surfaces). The other is a curved surface, which is made up of discrete flat elements/plates.
The façade combines different functions:
connection of two wings of the folding station with the main building into one structure, media facade and memorable image, which could be easily recognized from the busy transport artery of the city.
The structure's integrity is achieved due to the wave on the surface of the main facade, which smoothly combines with the previously existing wings of the gas station and creates the effect of flow and compatibility of the once torn geometry of the complex.
The south orientation of the facade is compensated by the additional layer of the structure that cuts the straight rays of the sun and provides scattered light during the whole day. On the facade’s end face there are LED tubes, which can be used as the media facade and attract additional attention to the building at night.
In addition to these functions, the facade was designed as an image that stands out between the typical gas stations and the context of Pozniaky. It invites you to enter the building with a distinct wave curve above the main entrance. The recognition of the flagship gas station is fixed by the arrangement of the interior of the store, which is in contrast to the dark facade on a dark background - a light space with large stained glass with a flow of wooden elements embodied in plywood edges.
PARAMETRIC MORPHOGENESIS
A parametric three-dimensional model was built to create the geometry of the facade. The change of parameters influenced the construction of the surface, such as consistency amplitude, height and depth of the wave, the number of vertical discrete elements into which the surface is divided.
The parametric approach allowed to adapt the facade to the design and visual criteria in real-time without the need for significant processing of the three-dimensional model. It allowed, in fact, to be able to choose from hundreds of options online.
Design automation has also made it possible to quickly go through hundreds of options to choose the best one according to the above criteria.