In Russia, as in most countries of the world, there are a lot of shopping centers, and they all look almost the same and function according to the same principle. As a rule, basically it is a "box" with tiers of shops, cafes, beauty salons, parking, periodically supplemented by such "delights" as an ice rink, a water park, etc. From an architectural point of view, such buildings are rarely valuable (with the exception of some historical examples), and for the people using them, they seem to be neither good nor bad.
Such shopping centers in Europe are called built according to the American system. In the center of cities, there is usually simply not enough space for themselves and the accompanying underground garage and other necessary infrastructure. Therefore, many architects are reconsidering the usual approach to the construction of shopping centers and are trying to correctly implement them in the already existing environment. Sometimes they do it well, sometimes not very well.
In Munich, after the destruction of the Second World War, any stone of minimal historical value is restored and protected. Therefore, when Hypo-Bank (known as UniCredit in Russia), which owned beautiful buildings in the city center, announced a tender for the construction of a shopping center, the public did not expect a modern architectural solution to the problem at all. The project clearly stated that the structure of buildings dated 1895 should remain in their original form, like the facades of the 1950s, and only 35% of the interior space was allowed to be completely changed. Therefore, it was logical that the project developed according to the principle "from the inside - out".
The competition was won by the Swiss bureau Herzog & de Meuron. It is worth saying a few good words about Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, which is rarely possible when talking about such famous architects. Firstly, all their colleagues who know them personally speak of them extremely positively: you must agree, not just a rare case in the architectural community, but downright exceptional - especially for “stars” architects. If you start to find fault and go looking for mistakes in their early works, then you will be surprised to understand that they were all successful and even these buildings are “aging” nobly - which also happens infrequently, unfortunately. You can move on to very personal topics, assuming that they paid for a successful career with a happy family life. But even there, everything worked out great for them, and they definitely spend every Friday evening with their wives and children, despite their busyness: this is a tradition that they have supported for many years. And if you remember that Herzog and de Meuron have been friends since kindergarten, that is, their fruitful creative union is built on a very solid foundation, then the result is an almost surrealistically positive picture.
And it was these two who were given the opportunity to find a European approach to the shopping center according to the American system. This is how the Fünf Höfe project was born - not just a shopping center, but a space that incorporated heaven, history and sensory experience into its structure. On the ground floor there are shops, cafes, restaurants, a bank; on the second - the offices, housing and exhibition halls of the art gallery; in the underground level there is a supermarket. The complex got its name because of a series of passages around which, in fact, it was formed.
Central - Salvator Passage - is the main artery of the center with 10-meter "lashes" of living ivy descending from the ceiling. The Perusa courtyard is completely open to the sky, light and even rain. Outside, by the way, it is Perusa that has the only modern facade in the whole complex with perforated shutters "in bronze". The next passage passes through the neo-baroque façade and is the darkest and most mysterious of the “courtyards”: it is the Pranner Passage, a narrow long corridor with gray walls in glass shards, which are illuminated in the evening. At the intersection of Perusa and Pranner is the Portiahof, a central courtyard with a waterfall and a perforated aluminum screen that gives it intimacy. And in the next courtyard - Viscardihof - there is a huge metal sphere, the work of Olafur Eliasson, giving the space an extra dimension.
Herzog & de Meuron was responsible for the overall structure of the complex, the central arcade, restaurants and the art gallery, while others worked on the completion of the entire project: architects Studio Gianola from Switzerland, local bureau Hillmer & Sattler, artist Remy Zaugg - their the joint work brought to the solution of the "Five Courtyards" complex a variety typical for European design.
Fünf Höfe is an allusion to the medieval city structure. This is not just a shopping center, but an object where the authors have achieved a balance of nature and city, dynamics and hierarchy. Originally intended for wealthy clients, the building has become a place for people from different social groups to interact. It turns out that the European trade center is a dynamic formation, structurally and socially inscribed in the context.
Among other things, it is really interesting, beautiful and comfortable here, so you come here not only to buy books or new shoes, but to have a cup of tea overlooking the waterfall and trees or a glass of wine under the Eliasson sphere, or to walk through the halls of an art gallery. Small, seemingly, even insignificant details - tiles with a pattern of the city, ivy leaves, half-open windows in one of the courtyards, shine of mirror fragments in another, slipping here and there pieces of the sky - make people come back here, especially since there is always the choice is to be alone or in the company.
Therefore, if the next time a customer comes to you with a request to squeeze the maximum out of every square meter, explain to him that sometimes it is better to leave a little space for beauty and people. He probably won't believe it, but at least try …
