The Project
In the heart of Venice beside the Rialto Bridge, we have redesigned and transformed the interior of the C16th Fondaco dei Tedeschi into a luxurious department store for global retailers DFS, in close collaboration with the soprintendenza of Venice (equivalent to Heritage England). Our work sits within the architectural restoration of this historic landmark which has been carried out by OMA.
This major new store, which is 9,000m sq over 5 floors, opened to the public in October 2016.
Our vision was to create a wonderful journey through the building, with each level bringing new images and materials, responding to its historic context, its product range and the city of Venice itself, creating a constant dialogue between old and new. In paying homage to Venice, we sought to avoid pastiche or over-simplification so we looked at materials dominant in Venetian palazzos, such as grilles and traditional glass making.
The result is a playful and exploratory department store with variation and surprise on all levels, built with elegant and luxurious material finishes including marble and bronze.
The most striking design feature in Women’s Shoes is the set of marble tables, carved to appear like draped fabric, the tables were carefully propped in situ, styled and scanned three-dimensionally. The scans were used to carve the marble using advanced 3D carving technology.
Part of the design challenge was to configure services in a listed building with an existing timber beamed ceiling. Since they couldn’t be hidden, instead the services became a design feature. Ducts and lighting tracks were configured to provide air handling and lighting to the retail spaces, as well as suggesting direction and flow in the space.
Photography ©Olivier Hess, ©Marta Busso and ©Matteo De Fina