When Architecture meets Design, the result is projects that are the maximum expression of function and beauty.

A marble floor is a classic example of how quality materials can be used even in retail facilities. Not only can they be successfully integrated in the design, but they enrich the facilities with new shades, providing beauty to places designed for other priorities, which often mainly deal with business rather than the contemplation of beauty. A marble floor is a winning solution in any context: that is why a marble floor fits in perfectly in large scale architectural projects, and provides an added “something”, a bonus that increases the overall value of the entire project. Can a large architectural project be beautiful and functional at the same time? The answer is ‘yes, of course’. The perfect combination is achieved when the aesthetic value blends with the very nature of the building: a project can be beautiful without neglecting its functionality and it can fully meet the needs that it was built for.
Cana shopping centre (also) be beautiful? The answer is yes, it can, and it is fitting to mention the example of the majestic IAPM shopping mall of Shanghai, the Chinese metropolis that, more than any other, shows the Celestial Empire’s economic power.
In the heart of, or rather, in ‘one of the hearts’ of the city: Shanghai is a non-place, meaning that it is not just one single location. Shanghai has very many facets, and each one has its own place, its own special stage that enchants visitors and inhabitants alike.

TheIAPM shopping center is part of and integrates perfectly with the complex and vast project that is introducing Shanghai to a new way of retailing.
The complex includes two office towers with a total walk-on area of 1.3 million square metres, more than 200,000 square metres of luxury rental apartments.
Tradition and modernity feature in the trendiest shopping center of the Chinese megalopolis, which could never forego its cultural roots, the wholly oriental aesthetics that always hint to light and substance at the same time.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that the SM Marble – Arabescato Bianco marble floor produced by Santamargherita was chosen for the walk-on surfaces.
The choice of special and unusual formats allowed the designers to achieve a very original floor pattern during installation.
100% Made in Italy surfaces for this super-luxury shopping centre, which also acts as a public space for meetings and events, without ever losing sight of its calling as a big-name shopping temple: the list of brands it sells is virtually endless and it is literally impossible to get bored!
The identity of the project is inspired by the typical atmospheres of Shanghai, where “micro” and “macro” coexist in harmony, where small shops fit perfectly into urban fabrics of skyscraper skylines.

Thus the IAPM shopping centre in Shanghai welcomes the Santamargherita marble floors and integrates them into its interior, creating a unique atmosphere, where everything comes full circle and aesthetics combine perfectly with function.

The Editor