The project was a chance to create a relevant design in Iran while linking and incorporating the worlds of fashion and architecture. The building would engage with different concerns in current architectural discourse, from the creation of a collective and integrated space within the city fabric, to the use of eco-sustainable building materials. Furthermore, the creation of a collective cross-cultural urban space in line with Benetton’s vision, would transform the project into a clear manifestation of Benetton’s corporate identity and credo.

The structure and concept of the project features a composition of colourful, dynamic fragments, representing loose connections so as to allow for individual interpretation. It is specifically through this ‘family of coloured elements’ that it hints at a spatial organisation which generates diverse spaces that are defined yet also fluid and continuous. Like a conceptual mashrabiya or veil, it conveys a magical atmosphere that not only creates an original space through a ‘transparent barrier’ but gives it an identity that is both public and private. The resulting architecture is one that allows life and light to percolate from one space to another.

It is this dialogue between the interior and exterior, together with a dynamic and creative interior space, that demonstrates the ideology of openness behind the Benetton brand. At night it is not simply light-filled voids, but a social and cultural beacon that reaches out and becomes a presence within the city.

Name: United Colors of Teheran
Architects: Matteo Cainer Architects Ltd
Location: Teheran, Iran
Programme: Benetton concept store
Client: Benetton
Project Size: 12,300 m2
MCA Principal: Matteo Cainer