A shopping promenade

A prime location is one of the key assets of the GranRoma Gran Shopping centre. Accessible via a dedicated exit from Rome’s ring road (the Grande Raccordo Anulare), it serves the eastern part of the capital and is located on the edge of Tenuta della Mistica, a traditional agricultural area that is being redeveloped to create a multifunctional area devoted to sustainability, organic farming and social and leisure activities. Another key feature of the shopping centre is its proximity to the remains of the Aqua Alexandrina, the 2nd century AD Roman aqueduct located in the Parco della Mistica and visible from the food court terrace on the first floor of the mall. GranRoma was designed and developed by the Fresia Group and built by the company’s general contractor, while the architectural part of the project was awarded to Genius Loci Architettura, Studio Pagnoni Vita and STIMP. The mall extends over two levels with a useful commercial space of more than 32,000 square metres plus underground and outdoor parking. It offers a wide choice of shopping and food options, with a total of 97 retail outlets including bars and restaurants, clothing, home and electronics stores and a grocery supermarket. «The project opted prevalently for prefabricated materials, including the load-bearing structure, and dry construction techniques, particularly plasterboard for the walls and ceilings in conjunction with the large windows. The external envelope consists of a combination of fibre cement panels, metal and perforated sheet metal sunscreen panels,» explains Claudio Dal Piva, head of the Fresia Group’s tendering and procurement department. A metal canopy cantilevered over the entrance to the building creates a distinctive and appealing aesthetic motif. The interior concept, on the other hand, focuses on pedestrian flows, «using modern architecture and a wide promenade to makes it easy for people to reach the shops. A brightly lit 400-metre corridor complete with seating and the use of warm materials ensures a pleasant retail experience,» Dal Piva continues. Lighting is provided by five large natural light wells extending from the roof down to the ground floor. But the atmospheres of the GranRoma shopping centre are also determined by the aesthetic and functional choices of ceramic tiles. Inspired by the rigour and solidity of concrete, the floor tiles used in the mall’s interior galleries and for the paving in the exterior access plaza were chosen from the Industrial series from Floor Gres (Made in Florim), in the two-tone combination of Sage and Moka, a 60×60 cm size and technical characteristics suited to high traffic areas. To identify its function as a dining area, the food court is tiled with the Wooden Tile collection from Casa dolce casa — Casamood (Made in Florim), wood-effect strips with a Nordic look chosen in the colour Walnut and a 20×120 cm size and installed in a staggered layout to create a sense of depth.