"UFO" lands in Baden-Baden!
Round illuminated display for shopping centre

The shopping centre "Shopping Cité“ in Baden-Baden presents a modern and futuristic face. But what has landed on the former French garrison site is not a UFO but a particularly innovative shopping mall.

About 25 specialist shops from over 20 sectors as well as international gastronomy are accommodated in the unusual structure. Two round parts of the building, both with a radius of 65 metres and connected to each other via a passage, give the shopping centre its extravagant character. Which is logical - because fittingly for the UFO-like architecture there is also a round logo, or better said, a round illuminated display has been created. "It should have a diameter of five metres and a depth of 40 centimetres," remembers Francesco Saponari, shareholder and owner of DiMedi GmbH in Baden-Baden, thinking back on the guidelines from the customer, the worldwide investor Global Henderson. But how to perfectly implement an illuminated display of these dimensions with a fold-free cover? No problem thanks to EPS.CRYSTAL profiles, which make a frameless cover possible and that Francesco Saponari used, of course. "We have already realised a lot of projects with the tensioning technology from EPS. There's simply no alternative if you want an absolutely flat light surface without optical interruptions."  

No sooner said than done. The illuminated display consisting of 2 parts was assembled on the ground in advance. Finally this was attached to the facade including the tensioned fabric within two hours by using a crane. A total of 60 fluourescent tubes were mounted and the illumination was devided into four individual lighting units. "Thus if there is a defect we only have to open one parcel," explained Saponari. He continued that the fluorescent tubes were accessible both from the side and the back via bolted aluminium sheets. 

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