Heritage Heroes, Part II

RENOVATION – DEPARTMENT STORE

El Palacio de Hierro
Polanco, Mexico City

Submitted by: TPG ARCHITECTURE, NEW YORK
Photography: ALEC ZABALLERO & PAUL RIVERA, NEW YORK

Viewed as the gold standard for luxury retail in Mexico, when it came time for El Palacio de Hierro to renovate its Mexico City store in the city’s affluent Polanco district, it called upon TPG Architecture (New York) and Gensler (San Francisco) to transform the department store into a grand international retail destination.

“As we developed the project, it became very clear to us that it was going to be the most amazing department store, pretty much, in the world – and [the goal] was explained in those terms,” says Alec Zaballero, design principal, TPG, “on par with the great flagships of the world.”

El Palacio de Hierro, Polanco, Mexico City / Photography: ALEC ZABALLERO & PAUL RIVERA, NEW YORK

Scale was a major factor in accomplishing such an awe-inspiring outpost. Closed for just before over a year, the store was expanded to cover an entire Polanco block. In its end state, each of its floors is the size of a traditional department store. Dividing the massive project, TPG was responsible for the ground floor, first floor and two atriums; Gensler for the second and third floors.

“It wouldn’t have worked if there wasn’t a really strong willingness to collaborate with both firms, no matter who was managing the process on the client-side,” says Diana Revkin, managing director, retail, TPG. The final result is a cohesive El Palacio de Hierro identity that reflects the brand’s high-end aesthetic and its history in Mexico City, all the while setting the stage for the litany of brands it houses.

El Palacio de Hierro, Polanco, Mexico City / Photography: ALEC ZABALLERO & PAUL RIVERA, NEW YORK

“It’s spectacular,” said judge Jay Highland, chief creative officer, Chute Gerdeman (Columbus, Ohio). “The store has its own personality, and the brands don’t take over.”

View Part I of this year’s competition here.

To enter VMSD’s 2017 Retail Renovation Competition, stay tuned for the announcement of the call for entries, early next year.