Echo Investment has presented a visualization of the winning extension design of the GALAXY shopping centre in Szczecin, which has been created by the Open Architekci architectural studio. The project will completely change the appearance of the most popular shopping and entertainment centre in the West-Pomeranian region.

The work on the design of the extension of the GALAXY shopping centre took over 6 months. Various proposals prepared by architect teams representing four architectural studios evolved for the entire design period. Thanks to this it was possible to plan the newly-created area of the facility optimally, provide it with functionality and adjust it to the new needs. The winner of the competition was the design of the Open Architekci architectural studio. The GALAXY building, which has been opened on Wyzwolenia Avenue for 10 years, will gain a new facade worthy of the 21st century. The designers gave the shape of the building a more modern look which will integrate with its current surroundings in the centre of Szczecin. “The appearance of the building will change radically; it will be hard to recognize that it is the same facility. Our aim was for the extended shopping mall to be a showpiece of Szczecin. Its architecture, which was developed a decade ago, required a change due to the fact that its surroundings and the conditions it operates in are different now. Still, it is the most popular shopping centre in the region and it has been visited by over 140 mln customers to date,” explains Krzysztof Giemza, proxy at Echo Investment. The extension will involve the construction of an indoor shopping arcade with an extensive internal yard which will become the most popular meeting and shopping spot for the residents of Szczecin and the region. The new part of the facility will have an area of approx. 17,000 sqm and it will include a fitness club, some new shops and further 200 parking spaces. After the extension of GALAXY, which will generate approx. 500 new jobs, the facility will have a retail area of app. 60,000 sqm. The presentation of the latest visualizations of GALAXY"s extension design also included a debate entitled "Shopping Centre – Modern Agora of the City", which was attended by representatives of Szczecin authorities, councillors, architects, urban planners, representatives of the investor and a sociologists who specializes in consumerism and shopping centre issues. The topic of the discussion was the change in architecture, the functioning of shopping centres and their influence on the life and development of cities and towns, as well as the role which facilities like that play in the public life. GALAXY is the most popular shopping and entertainment centre in the West-Pomeranian region. Its leasable area amounts to 42,000 sqm. GALAXY customers can choose from 170 shops of various brands, a multi-screen cinema and a Real hypermarket. The facility was designed by the OTH architectural studio and was opened in 2003. In 2010 the project won the" Shopping Centre of the Year – Management and Operation" category in a competition organized by the Polish Council of Shopping Centres. In 2013 the facility obtained a BREEAM In-Use green certificate. www.galaxy-centrum.pl