The mall, located in the heart of Koblenz, consists of 20,000 m2 floor space for commercial functions, , more space for cultural and tourism purposes and an urban square of 6.000 m2.
There is a food court on site and there are over 80 stores. The shopping center, together with the Kulturbau, are a part of the redevelopment of the central square of Koblenz.
The square, Zentralplatz, not only connects the different districts of Koblenz with each other, but also has an important function as a public transport hub and as a place where different pedestrian flows come together.
The Kulturbau will serve a multitude of cultural users and tourist functions, including a museum, the tourist office and a library. The mall Forum Mittelrhein presents itself as a flat, horizontal layered structure.
On relevant junctions within the urban fabric, the mall offers spacious entrances and invites visitors to follow the pedestrian flows and to ‘glide’ through the building.
The shopping center is characterized by its trapezoidal layout and smooth outlines. The areas intertwined with escalators provide orientation points, divide the building and provide the interior with natural light.
This, in combination with the great spaciousness, gives a high-level of amenity and a pleasant ambience for the user. Across the intense colors of the void edges, powerful accentuations are applied that create a vivid image.
The top three floors of the building are dominated by an artificial "Weinlaub façade" (wine leaf façade). The basis of the structure is an abstract image of a vine leaf, which is interpreted freely as a 3D-shape.
The entire façade is composed out of only one type of element, that is produced in large quantities and high quality in an industrial thermoforming process.
Approximately 2,900 identical, three-dimensional shaped aluminum elements, painted in three different shades of green, form this distinctive façade.
Location:Koblenz, Germany
Architect: Benthem CrouwelArchitekten
Gross floor area: 42.500 m²
Parking:25.000 m²
Year: 2012
Client: ECE Projektmanagement GmbH & Co. KG
Photos: Jens Kirchner