ShowroomRealized

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION: 2016–2017
GROSS FLOOR AREA: 3450 m²
CLIENT: Messukeskus and Barrisol

Showroom exhibition architecture plays with infinity

Showroom design, interior design and lighting event for professionals is organized second time in Helsinki Fair Centre 13.–15.9.2017. The event is collaboration between Helsinki Design Week and Habitare, the biggest interior design fair in Finland. We were asked to design exhibition architecture but we found the task very challenging as we always start from the site. The vast empty exhibition hall didn’t provide us with any starting points. We started thinking what the fair is all about. As all the information can be found in internet, what is the point of this kind of events? We concluded that the main point is the contact between exhibitors and visitors. This is why we focused on interaction between people instead of designing fancy physical exhibition structures.

All exhibition structures are clad with reflecting mirror surfaces that make them visually disappear. As the walls reflect each other, the boundaries of space start blurring and the space feels infinite. The mirror multiply the area they border and maximize visibility the exhibitors’ visibility. Multiplying refers to industrial serial production as well. Seeing your own reflection creates surprises and a playful atmosphere. The visitor is in interaction with the space and becomes part of exhibition architecture.

The exhibition stands are grouped in rectangular islands floating free in space and creating small squares in between. Instead of typical fair layout based on straight corridors, moving in the labyrinthine space is an interesting experience. There is no general lighting. The stands are marked out with sharp edge spot lights highlighting the dramatic atmosphere.

In addition to general design we created an exhibition stand for Barrisol producing stretched ceilings. Instead of typical material samples and representation material of projects we designed an interesting cave like space that demonstrates how the product can be pulled to almost any form.