KaDeWe's Berlin new concept
Department Stores
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Oct 2021
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Berlin
What: Architecture consultancy OMA has completed the first quadrant of the masterplan and renovation of KaDeWe in Berlin. Ongoing since 2016, the transformation of the 90.000 sqm historic building is fragmented into four quadrants that break the original mass into smaller, easily accessible and navigable sectors.
Why it is important: Rather than treating the existing building as a singular mass, the project breaks it into four quadrants, each with its own qualities and targeted at a different audiences: classic, experimental, young, generic. This approach addresses the accelerating shifts in consumer behaviour and the challenges and opportunities brought by online retail that are affecting the traditional department store.