The H & M flagship store in the Unirea Shopping Center (Bucharest) has a sales area of 4,282 square meters over three floors and was refurbished in three successive stages, always leaving 2 out of 3 floors accessible to the public. The entire project was conducted as a night time operation, so as not to interfere with the atmosphere and ambiance in the areas open for business.
Glas Expert produced and installed all of the glazing at H & M Unirea: 1600 square meters of 6 mm mirrored glass, 250 sqm store display case made of a 6.2.6 mm configuration of EVOLAM T glasses mounted in Dorma perimeter profile, with chemically satinated ultraclear (low-iron) glass cladding, ‘10.2.10 mm configured’ ultra-clear (low iron) EVOLAM T glass railings, mirrored hydrant doors with glued hinges. The display case includes overpanel doors, with the same material also used for the handles and floor hinges.
To cope with heavy traffic and to better withstand the wind, rain and snow, the customer street entrance doors are reinforced with stainless steel mouldings and equipped with floor dampers.
The 10.2.10mm configured (20.76 mm) EVOLAM T laminated ultra-clear (low iron) safety glass railings are mounted in a hidden profile. The type of foil (EVA), the quality of safety glass, as well as the type of fixtures and fittings used in the railing profile ensure the safety and protection of H & M’s customers against falling. The entire assembly complies with stringent European safety and security standards.
The combination of H & M’s products being reflected in the connected expanse of large 4200mm/ 6mm wall mounted mirrors, along with lighting aimed at the mirrors and at specific clothing stands, creates a sense of continuity and an air spaciousness and distinction. Where appropriate, the mirrors were cut to insert hydrant doors, display panels, or panic / fire buttons.
The 11m high and 8m wide wall mirror (with stereotomy), including mirrors fused at 45 degrees, was the only area that required special laser measuring equipment and CNC machining to ensure exact 1mm gaps across all of the pieces. Careful processing and painstaking assembly has resulted in a mirrored wall with almost 100 perfectly combined pieces. The play of reflections created by this wall mirror manifested exactly as the architect Mario Kuibus and Glas Expert imagined.
For this project we used a rarely implimented 8mm chemically satinated low iron glass, which we ceramic enamelled and secured to clad H & M’s exterior, replacing the old glazing and giving it a completely different look and feel.
With the two H & M mega Mall projects overlapping, all Glas Expert departments had to make a concerted effort to meet the demands of both projects in good time. The professionalism of Glas Expert employees combined with our state-of-the-art equipment was key to the successful completion of these two projects.