DENMARK. BIllund Airport has opened a new 700sq m walk-through duty free store this week. The store, operated directly by the airport authority, was designed by The Design Solution as part of a master planning project in early 2011.
The store layout gives prominence to perfume and cosmetics on the right side of the central walkway, and liquor, tobacco and confectionery to the left. Customers enter the post-security store at one short side of the rectangular plan, with a meandering walkway leading passengers to four tills at the mouth of the departures lounge.
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Perfume and cosmetics feature prominently along the right side of the meandering central walkway. |
Creating a Sense of Place and a simple, easy experience was a key part of the brief. The Design Solution therefore opted to integrate the store design into the overall look and feel of the airport; the palette of Scandinavian finishes employed at the airport has been retained throughout the store.
The company has used the existing airport timber flooring in the store main walkway to connect the orientation zone with the departures lounge, and has defined the commercial areas with a light polished porcelain floor tile.
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The store retains the airport’s Scandinavian palette: timber for walkways, porcelain floor tiles for commercial areas. |
The store also houses a striking “Northern Lights” feature – an undulating pair of baffled ceiling rafts flowing from the entrance to the departures lounge – designed to address the lighting issues caused by the void above the store.
The Design Solution Project Director Nick Taylor said: “The effect is stunning, and brings a character which is utterly dynamic and unmistakably Scandinavian. Having stood and watched the way passengers flow into the selling spaces and easily navigate the product, and often back-flow into the space from the lounge, I am confident this store will be a huge success story for Billund.”
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A pair of baffled ceiling rafts provide a stunning solution to the lighting issues caused by the overhead void. |
