The new plaza and Auchan

This work was completed for an international ideas competition held in 2001 by the Italian store, Auchan. The entry requested that a store be designed to usher Auchan into the new millennium. The brief called for a store that would not rely upon signage, but it failed to question the impact that large, big-box-like, masses had upon urban fabrics. The proposal that resulted provided a solution by sinking the main store mass below grade to produce open plazas for all new Auchan stores. It broke the brief by challenging the specified configuration of Auchan buildings as described in the project brief. The project report took the form of a letter to the jury while the design idea was shown diagrammatically in four panels, as specified. One panel contained a poem text, the others showed plans, sections and perspectives.