[ MOC ] The Grand Mall

[niteangel]

Hi everyone, just a few days before 2017 arrives and I managed to get this building done! As the economy of V City (my LEGO world) is going strong, the old Grand Emporium needs an upgrade too. Unlike many people who would buy more of the set and stack the stories up, I took a different approach from an architect's point of view. I got the inspiration from the book shelf of mine, and thought what if I added more books to the shelf? I would push the books aside and insert the new ones. And I got the idea for the new annex of the department store.

The new building is just like new blocks inserted into the old one, and the expansion is not merely an increase of volume or floor area, but also a re-establishment of the icon. The new shop becomes a new landmark in the city (again). The design is clearly an insertion, but not invasion of the old.

The new wing has a larger entrance, while the old revolving door is still kept.

Let's start with the G/F. This floor is the supermarket, with one side having a double-volume space.

You can also see that I kept some iconic features from the old emporium, namely the gift deco and escalators. All these link to the old memories...

There is also a little information counter, if you are lost or if you have lost something.

Going up to 1/F is the kitchenware section, and you can find the fashion section next to it. Wait, is that...Scarlet Witch?

Further up is the 2/F kid section, with a fully stocked LEGO shelf! You can also find other toys here.

The other side of the kid section is a book section. Mums can play with their kids too there. Snack corner is near the escalator, while you can find the restroom too.

The roof originally was not used for anything (or a rest area for the window cleaners?), but after the renovation, you can enjoy a drink at the sky bar. Sometimes you can find the Avengers too.

The model is also "slice-able", as you can open it up to reveal all the different sections inside.

So the new Grand Mall is in business, and you can start getting some new things for the new year. Enjoy!

[SharpShot]

Very nice! I love the exterior of the new part!

[Man with a hat]

Oh Wow. How realistically ugly .

But it is really a brilliant idea and something you see quite often in really life.  Very well build. Not only the exterior but especially the interior.  

[lightningtiger]

The word is AWESOME !

Such delightful and excellent detailing with also a very modern exterior, Brick On 'niteangel' ! 

[niteangel]

Thanks!

7 hours ago, Man with a hat said:

Oh Wow. How realistically ugly .

But it is really a brilliant idea and something you see quite often in really life.  Very well build. Not only the exterior but especially the interior.  

I will take your first line as a compliment! :) Thanks!

[TheLegoDr]

I like your architecture drawing plans more than the official lego build. I usually do portraits when I draw, but I'd like to get more into architectural plans like how you did. That sounds like fun.

It makes sense to expand the official set. I guess I haven't exactly seen a building like this in real life. It definitely looks interesting. I like the more spacious interior and the rooftop bar is an interesting idea. I should consider that for my own. Although I think I will disassemble the whole building and make something different out of it. But there are definitely things to take away from this.

Keep up the good work.

[ReplicaOfLife]

Nice work!

Interesting concept that evokes the work of Liebeskind: http://www.awmagazin.de/sites/awmag/files/styles/1024x768/public/images/militaermuseum2_0.jpg
(that's an actual building, not Photoshop! It'S the military history museum in Dresden, Germany)
 

The interior is awesone, wish the official set had only half as many details as your work here.

Edited December 30, 2016 by RogerSmith

[GeoBrick]

Quite the refurbishment.

The new addon may look a bit too 'bricky' on the outside for me, but its a great idea, and the colors are well-choosen.

The new inside is simply adorable. Could imagine stepping into it right away.

Edited December 30, 2016 by GeoBrick

[cimddwc]

Great idea and very well done!

[peedeejay]

This looks quite different from what you usually see and I like it a lot!

[Delbaerov]

I'd love to see a picture with the brightness dialed down a little bit.  It looks really cool but it sort of blends together for me.

The design is fantastic.

[Bricknblue]

I like the design, but it looks like white and more white, the pale blue is barely noticeable. And I'd like it more if it were transparent, aka windows.

[niteangel]

Thanks for all the comments! I think it is quite interesting since it sparkles off different views on architecture.

I intentionally use light colors for the new expansion, because any brighter / bolder colors will compete with the old building. It is wrong, to me, that you use something strong like brown or dark blue to make it too bulky. Using glass is not a bad idea, but I see more solid feel with actual walls. I still do some skylights though if you notice.

Choosing a light color is not easy either. Light pink or red won't work, while light blue isn't too nice (too sad to me). The new light turquoise serves just right: bright, refreshing, sophisticated. I think I am good with this color scheme.

 

Thanks again!

[Kristel]

I love the bookends concept and the design overall, but not a big fan of the colour combination.  

[jalemac34]

Superb work, i really like the interiors details.....

Edited January 1, 2017 by jalemac34

[zeronthegreat]

Great job! Also visited your Lego idea thing too, I'm surprised and disappointed that it didn't reach enough supporters for it to move to the next stage. I really love minimalist modern a lot.

[carebear]

Love this!!!

but like kristel, i also am not a big fan of the colour combination

- the way you made it is Phenomenal

Great Work!!!

Greetings

 

[snaillad]

This is a very cool idea. I like the varying thickness of 'books'. Perhaps the white and light aqua don't stand out so much as the background is also white, It would be interesting to see how it would look against a blue/grey sky background.

The interior detailing is very well done!

[niteangel]

17 hours ago, zeronthegreat said:

Great job! Also visited your Lego idea thing too, I'm surprised and disappointed that it didn't reach enough supporters for it to move to the next stage. I really love minimalist modern a lot.

It's okay. I guess it needs a little more luck for any cool projects besides the number of votes! :P Thanks for the words!

5 hours ago, snaillad said:

This is a very cool idea. I like the varying thickness of 'books'. Perhaps the white and light aqua don't stand out so much as the background is also white, It would be interesting to see how it would look against a blue/grey sky background.

The interior detailing is very well done!

Indeed, I think I will need to shoot it against another background. Stay tuned!

Thanks for all the comments!

[LAKAbricks]

I really like the concept, niteangel. I just would like to see it against a darker background as well.

Only thing that puzzles me is that the architect cut up GE and moved a part of it to make space for the expansion. I know it is the concept, books on a shelf, though in real life the expansion normally is next to the existing building.

Otherwise, I love your projecting and sketches. You bring some really interesting ideas to life.

[Wesley D]

Very beautiful modification! The interior is very nice too, there is a lot of space in the mall.

I really like the light colors you have used, but I have to say because of those colors it doesn't remind me of books. Nevertheless it looks very good and modern!

[Dakar A]

Dang, I love how bat**** crazy this is in terms of a modification or extension of a modular building. I think it's pretty safe to say that all of the extensions I've seen before have played it safe, so I love how unique this one is. It definitely creates a different space from the original Emporium, and from an Emporium extension.  

[ncx]

I just saw that they are doing this to our old 19th century library.  Similar look but not the same colors.  I find it interesting considering your design is "book case" style and the building I'm referring to is a library

Good modern design but the colors blend too much, or they are just too similar for the camera to pick up properly, in my opinion the camera makes the colors "bleed" so I'm sure it looks better brick built in person.

[niteangel]

Thanks to all! I guess I just made a really bad decision on the background when photographing the build, but anyway, here maybe a better view of it. I am not sure if I should open another thread about this, which is about my modular builds being exhibited at my mother school, the School of Architecture, CUHK, as part of the 25th anniversary.

Maybe I will open a new topic on this!

[Lepralego]

Great work, both exterior and Interior. I'm agree with snaillad about the background:

On 2/1/2017 at 9:13 PM, snaillad said:

This is a very cool idea. I like the varying thickness of 'books'. Perhaps the white and light aqua don't stand out so much as the background is also white, It would be interesting to see how it would look against a blue/grey sky background.

The interior detailing is very well done!

In the main image the white/light blue building actually fades with the background in the to section.