06. Nov 2019

MEDIAMESH® for superlative mall

The NBBJ architectural firm designed the Eton Place Dalian tower complex in the center of the port city of Dalian in Northern China as a superlative multifunctional development. A six-story mall connects the two highest towers. Large MEDIAMESH® screens from GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG running around the corners of the building serve as an eye-catching advertising platform at both main entrances.

The Eton Place Dalian highrise complex consists of five towers ranging from 41 to 81 stories high [Anmerkung der Übersetzerin: hier gibt es einen Fehler im Ausgangstext – es soll “Stockwerke” und nicht “Meter” heißen]. A polygonal façade, partially suspended from the third floor, makes the mall appear diamond-shaped. Irregularly arranged window openings enhance this impression and ensure that sufficient daylight also enters the upper levels. In selecting the transparent MEDIAMESH® screens made of stainless steel mesh with interwoven rows of LEDs, the architects retain this effect for the luxury complex. The sophisticated system blends in subtly with the architecture and does not detract from the expressive shape of the buildings, despite its media content. The two 10.35-meter-high and up to 24-meter-wide displays consist of a total of eleven panels, which wrap around the corners of the building. The type of media presentation displayed causes the 90°-angle to disappear optically. Daylight is able to flood into the building thanks to the transparency of the woven structure, allowing visitors a clear view of the outdoors from inside. In addition to its extraordinary aesthetics, the media façade system from GKD also ensures low maintenance costs, economical electricity consumption and mechanical robustness. Yet the GKD team had a difficult challenge to overcome when fitting the screens: The substructure had to be adapted to the unusual shape of the building while also leaving enough space behind the façade for a walkway. It was a task that the experienced team solved masterfully, creating a functional and attractive eyecatcher for the Eton Place Dalian mall.