The design of the department store was shaped by the context of the surrounding buildings and the overall structure of the city center of Martin, both in its current and future form. The aim was to establish an honest dialogue between the historical core and the new building, which, through its distinct form and program, completes the adjacent public space. The shape of the building responds to the form of Martin’s main square and emphasizes the verticality of the Church of St. Martin. The intention was to integrate the structure naturally into the city fabric.

Although the building is unique in its scale, its roofscape adopts the proportions and architectural language of the surrounding historical buildings to which it relates. The massing and form were inspired by the setting — the backdrop of nearby mountain ridges — as well as by vernacular local architectural principles. These ideas are reflected in the composition of the façade elements and in the way materials are handled.

The height and orientation of the building, its gabled roofs, ridgelines, and main cornices correspond to the surrounding structures. The design of the façades is an abstraction of the classical composition of traditional urban buildings. The monochromatic building is perceived as a unified whole, yet its volume is subtly articulated. It is largely wrapped in a semi-transparent veil of metal façade louvers, mounted in front of a concrete load-bearing structure with a plaster finish. Behind this outer skin, plastered or glazed wall surfaces emerge, creating a shifting play of light between the different layers.

The louvers are all in white tones but vary in width and spacing. The roof is made of white trapezoidal sheet metal with alternating profile widths.