Lighting is Replacing past Architectural Design Elements: The Mall Past and Present

The first American malls did not provide much in the manner of natural light; the huge selling points were lots of free parking and air conditioning during, and mild light only made it more challenging to keep things fresh and cool. It is painfully the case regarding shopping malls.

Take, by way of instance, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, that can be just as much a monument since it’s a mall. Since the oldest shopping center in the world that stays in business to this day, its heritage and function as a neighborhood landmark make the historical five-story structure among the most inspirational architectural illustrations within our sector. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II owes its success to a combination of factors: its imperial aesthetic and its place between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza del Scala endows it with a particular significance, along with also the upscale brand names placed within are an attraction for both tourists and locals. However, as Guy Martin wrote in a 2015 post for Forbes, the construction is also noteworthy thanks to a unique architectural feature:

“The soaring thousand-yard-long glass roof is now, a technical marvel. It is the cerulean blue light flowing through the glass at the morning — gloomy no matter what the weather which provides the stroller that the celestial pause. It makes you want to purchase a nice new coat, a handmade Fratelli Prada valise, a fantastic cigar, and wander to the Restaurant Biffi, that has been in those halls because of the late 1860s, if the Galleria hadn’t yet been fully finished, and order their large nice old grappas.”