Deniz Mall wins Award at the prestigious Prix Versailles Africa and West Asia 2021
Chapman Taylor’s Deniz Mall in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been awarded best “Shopping Mall” in the prestigious Prix Versailles Africa and West Asia 2021 awards.
The awards celebrate architecture and design which exemplifies successful synergy between the economy and culture, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors. The projects must be deemed to encompass innovation and creativity, reflect local, natural and cultural heritage, display ecological efficiency and uphold the values of social interaction and participation which the United Nations holds in high regard.
As a continental winner, the project is automatically nominated for the World Title (Prix Versailles World 2021, Shopping Malls category) which will be announced in December 2021.
Opening to the public in June 2020, Deniz Mall is a new retail, leisure and entertainment redevelopment concept for the former Baku Entertainment Centre.
Located on land reclaimed from the Caspian Sea, Deniz Mall is a 120,000m² entertainment, retail, leisure and dining destination over five floors, housing the largest shopping centre in the Caucasus region. A ‘flame’ tower is the centrepiece of eight star-shaped wings inspired by Azerbaijan’s national emblem.
Chapman Taylor designed the original building as a congress centre in 2007, and now the building has been repurposed, keeping the same design, to become Azerbaijan's premier entertainment venue. Our redesign for the interior was planned to harmonise with the exterior design, ensuring a single homogenous concept for the centre.
The building houses a family-orientated day-out experience, including world-class entertainment venues, serving a much-needed role for the city and the surrounding region.
There are 25 cafés and restaurants, including outdoor restaurant terraces and a sky-bar, in which people can relax and look out at unrivalled views over the Caspian.
Retail and F&B brands include Nike, Swarovski, YARGICI, Pandora, Paul, Go Sport, Alma Store, Lviv Handmade Chocolate and CinemaPlus, while new names for Azerbaijan include the Casa Culinary Art School of Azerbaijan, Big Chef, TGI Friday and Kinderland.
The development's complex geometry was modelled by Chapman Taylor in BIM software, as well as deliverables including drawings, schedules and visualisations. Chapman Taylor’s London studio was appointed to provide interior design services for the building’s redevelopment in 2016.
Congratulations to everyone involved in realising the Deniz Mall development.