Playing with the positive and negative volumes and the alternation of open, semi-open, and enclosed spaces, Cadde becomes more than simply a container transformation, but an integral master plan, adding familiar qualities from the ancient model of the bazaar and agora into the introverted shoebox design of today.
The simple and imaginative concept brings modular units to the area between the two towers, creating main alleys and secondary aisles. Criss-cross cuts through the primordial mass then maximize the façade while providing short cuts, thereby creating exiting space and individuality at every corner throughout the project.
Restaurants with different cuisines are mixed with contemporary retail, requiring a sensitive design for each unit, establishing and underlining it’s personal identity and thus contributing to a solid overall appearance. The lower level, holding 18 shops and restaurants, provides an urban setting with plazas and wider alleys down to more narrow shortcuts. Shared seating as well as adjacent, themed terraces invite the visitors to remain, widely openable façades carry the individual atmospheres outside and erase the boundaries between inside and outside, while large glass façades provide transparency and gorgeous displays.
The second, upper level is much less dense. Large deck spaces with greenery invite one to remain and observe from above. Five restaurants feature generous terraces with green areas that connect several units. The unifying design approach also becomes most obvious on the terrace level. Each unit resembles shipping containers that fold, slide, and swing open. Where on the lower level corrugated steel facades hold menus and infographics — but in general fall victim to the high density and desired transparency — the container facades on the upper level entirely become the expressive and functional shell of each unit.
A steel frame construction paired with an underfloor technical layer provides flexibility of layout for each unit. Fresh and waste water, electricity, and climatization are delivered to the exact point they are needed. This matrix furthermore offers an opportunity for a great variety of applicable materials for the individual modules, ranging from 160 to 970 square feet, each with a generous nine-foot height.
To maximize the usability of the development, the corridors and terraces can be opened in the summer while protected from intense sunlight, but entirely closed and heated in the colder period of the year to cultivate the space. The hidden service corridor, as well as a buffer zone to hold goods temporarily during restocking, connects to the service elevator and storage areas in the basement; refrigerated trash storage is available both in the basement and on the site level.
The synthesis of the container theme and the eclectic and colorful interiors define the nature and charm of the project – providing different qualities on the two levels, throughout 25 units, each with its own character and style. Well-arranged and staged on the users’ end, creating a unique urban atmosphere and orchestrated behind the scenes, providing a strong service infrastructure on the operator’s side.
Cadde is an innovative, new concept creating an added value and taking the concept of a food court to a completely new level.