At the time of its opening in 1907, the KaDeWe department store was the largest in continental Europe (24,000 m2 of retail space). The classic layout of the city's central department store remained in demand until the early 21st century, although the building underwent a series of renovations, including rebuilding after World War II, and increased the retail space to 60,000 m2. A hundred years ago, and now KaDeWe resembles a city within a city with many passages and "squares". However, in the 2010s, in the digital age and global economy, the expensive department store scheme with a huge selection of goods from around the world became outdated. The department store was also hampered by the results of the reconstruction of the 1990s.
OMA architects offer a "curated", "tactical" option for the department store renovation, which is scheduled for completion in 2018. According to their plan, the huge areas of the 9-storey store should be divided into 4 quadrants and an atrium should be created in the center of each, serving as a circulation hub. Thus, on an even larger area (we are talking about 90,000 m2) there will be four “department stores”, each of which can be oriented towards “its own” audience - young people, fans of experimental or classic versions of goods, etc.
It will be easier to navigate inside each of the four parts than on the huge shopping floors in general, and besides, all quadrants will have their own entrance from the street. Each atrium will receive a specific shape and configuration of escalators, and this shape will evolve from floor to floor, giving each tier individuality. The cross-shaped borders dividing the quadrants will also be involved in creating “displays” of goods and directing human flows.
Only one atrium, a cone of concentric rings, will reach the level of the roof, which the authors of the project also plan to remodel. The new glazed volume with a panoramic view of Berlin will continue the outlines of the building: both the atrium escalators and two elevators leading to the façade connecting the roof and the street will lead there. There will also be an open courtyard for events: from there it will be possible to look into the back office of the department store, where delicacies are prepared for sale in the KaDeWe grocery department, which is unique in its assortment.
