Attractive sinuosity
The duty free area will be the first to undergo change in the overhaul of the airport in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Set to start in May, the initial phase of the works will be followed by a complete makeover of the space’s forms and “content”. Thanks to the new operator Duty Free.Az, all of this will take place in the duty free area spread across a total of 2,000 m2 in the airport in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and also known as “the city of wind” because of the wind currents that lash the western coast of the Caspian Sea. Future passengers will be intrigued by the contemporary and sinuous lines designed by the Italian architects Marcello Albini and Emanuela Venturini, who are working in conjunction with the Arno design team.
The new space will be organized in a mirror design of two wings dedicated to “traditional” duty free shopping and taking the shape of two “boomerangs” measuring approximately 800 m2, a fashion boutique and a boutique selling local crafts and delicacies, each measuring 50 m2, and finally a walkway flanked by exclusive corners carrying top designer products and a wide space to display a commercial vehicle.
In this space, which travelers can access from both sides, the perimeter of the two “boomerangs” will be interrupted by red lacquered panels and glass slates held in place by a series of steel clips and acting as a display area. Gobbetto resin drops personalized with the new “duty free” logo or with the various brand names and applied to the grey-tone, resin floor will lead travelers along a sinuous path. The path moves through elegant display areas created by the German company Heinemann. Some of these areas are accented with resin spots on the floor and lighted rings in Barrisol fabric at false ceiling level. «A large, light-infused mouth» is how the architect Albini describes the alluring entryway into the fashion boutique. «Led rgb lighting will emphasize the wide opening and illuminate the structure created with Barrisol fabric from within, while the duty free logo will appear along the archway». After passing through the luminous arch, visitors enter the boutique that is aglow with sparkling niches, accessory display areas and two tall “parentheses” with shelving for knitwear.
A characterizing element of the entire space will be the long “shelf ” that functions as a rack and runs the length of nearly half the boutique’s perimeter. The idea of creating silhouetted, red lacquered furnishings to separate the boutique’s brands is a functional and flexible solution. Interrupted only by a ceiling to floor black mirror and the corner showcasing new arrivals and collections, this area will be further embellished with elegant “Medusa” hanging light fixtures and ceiling lamps by La Murrina. Located adjacently to the dressing room will be a sitting area with a red table and armchairs to echo the colors featured in the duty free’s new logo. The red lacquered elements in the fashion boutique, will instead take the form of wood-covered columns in the local crafts boutique with an inlay effect inspired by the wood decorations of the bazaars of Baku’s old quarter. Elegance abounds in the display areas like the curved red counter of the cashier area and the decidedly square and symmetrical design craft items, books and souvenirs. Continuing the theme of elegance along the back wall is an eccentric glass display case to showcase and store wines, vodka, caviar and other local food products. Even the “mouth” entryway will slightly differ in that the lit Barrisol will be replaced with an elegant wood covering to recall the local style and atmospheres of this ex Soviet republic. «Although we might be instinctively tempted to associate Azerbaijan with cold and inhospitable Russia» explains Albini, who by now has become familiar with this country, «it actually has more in common with the temperatures, colors and atmospheres of the Middle East»
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The new space will be organized in a mirror design of two wings dedicated to “traditional” duty free shopping and taking the shape of two “boomerangs” measuring approximately 800 m2, a fashion boutique and a boutique selling local crafts and delicacies, each measuring 50 m2, and finally a walkway flanked by exclusive corners carrying top designer products and a wide space to display a commercial vehicle.
In this space, which travelers can access from both sides, the perimeter of the two “boomerangs” will be interrupted by red lacquered panels and glass slates held in place by a series of steel clips and acting as a display area. Gobbetto resin drops personalized with the new “duty free” logo or with the various brand names and applied to the grey-tone, resin floor will lead travelers along a sinuous path. The path moves through elegant display areas created by the German company Heinemann. Some of these areas are accented with resin spots on the floor and lighted rings in Barrisol fabric at false ceiling level. «A large, light-infused mouth» is how the architect Albini describes the alluring entryway into the fashion boutique. «Led rgb lighting will emphasize the wide opening and illuminate the structure created with Barrisol fabric from within, while the duty free logo will appear along the archway». After passing through the luminous arch, visitors enter the boutique that is aglow with sparkling niches, accessory display areas and two tall “parentheses” with shelving for knitwear.
A characterizing element of the entire space will be the long “shelf ” that functions as a rack and runs the length of nearly half the boutique’s perimeter. The idea of creating silhouetted, red lacquered furnishings to separate the boutique’s brands is a functional and flexible solution. Interrupted only by a ceiling to floor black mirror and the corner showcasing new arrivals and collections, this area will be further embellished with elegant “Medusa” hanging light fixtures and ceiling lamps by La Murrina. Located adjacently to the dressing room will be a sitting area with a red table and armchairs to echo the colors featured in the duty free’s new logo. The red lacquered elements in the fashion boutique, will instead take the form of wood-covered columns in the local crafts boutique with an inlay effect inspired by the wood decorations of the bazaars of Baku’s old quarter. Elegance abounds in the display areas like the curved red counter of the cashier area and the decidedly square and symmetrical design craft items, books and souvenirs. Continuing the theme of elegance along the back wall is an eccentric glass display case to showcase and store wines, vodka, caviar and other local food products. Even the “mouth” entryway will slightly differ in that the lit Barrisol will be replaced with an elegant wood covering to recall the local style and atmospheres of this ex Soviet republic. «Although we might be instinctively tempted to associate Azerbaijan with cold and inhospitable Russia» explains Albini, who by now has become familiar with this country, «it actually has more in common with the temperatures, colors and atmospheres of the Middle East»
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