Shimmering panels of stainless steel create the appearance of a rippling lake above the heads of shoppers at a supermarket in Moscow.

UK architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands designed the food hall and a surrounding mezzanine of restaurants and bars on the upper floors of a seven-storey department store.

The stainless steel panels were beaten then polished before being mounted onto the ceiling, which is visible from retail floors below.

The roof is supported by chunky white columns, which are interspersed between the fresh food counters that fill the hall.

The overlooking mezzanine provides two private restaurants, a 16 metre-long bar and outdoor terraces that overlook the surrounding city.

Other popular markets on Dezeen include a Shanghai supermarket with swooping lighting tracks on the ceiling and an Istanbul fish market covered by a concrete and steel canopy - see all our stories about markets here.

Photography is by Chris Gascoigne.

The following details are from the architects:

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands creates landmark luxury food destination in Moscow

International architecture studio Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has completed a luxury food retail and restaurant space at Tsvetnoy Central Market, Moscow, to rival leading international retail stores. Located on Tsvetnoy Boulevard and adjacent to Old Moscow Circus, the 3,930m² (42,300sq.ft) scheme at the new high-end department store features striking, beaten stainless steel interiors.

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ design for developer RGI International is the practice’s second collaborative project in Europe with specialist consultants Ford McDonald, having previously completed the acclaimed La Rinascente food hall in Milan. It draws on the practice’s expertise in luxury food retail schemes, including a 10 year collaboration with Harvey Nichols involving its stores in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, as well as the landmark restaurant at London’s OXO Tower Wharf.

Paul Sandilands, Director at Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, said, “Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ design for the food emporium at Tsvetnoy Central Market echos the site’s rich history as the location of Moscow’s famous 19th century flower market. With our previous experience in retail and hospitality design, we created a reflective stainless steel interior to capture the colour, buzz and activity in the space. This creates a sense of drama, which shimmers down to the lower retail levels, drawing visitors up through the building. Tsvetnoy Central Market is set to become Moscow’s ultimate food destination.”

Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ scheme occupies the upper floors of the seven storey department store and is centred around a 1,700m² (18,300sq.ft) delicatessen food hall. Located above, a large-scale mezzanine level houses a 16m long bar, two private dining restaurants and destination outdoor terraces with stunning views across the Moscow skyline.

With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has harnessed full design control over the only ‘editable’ plane within the space – the ceiling – to create a strong identity for the building. The suspended internal ceiling is comprised of 2,600 components made from highly-polished beaten stainless steel. This technically innovative feature addresses the common issue of underperformance on the upper floors of department stores, by creating a lively and colourful destination at the top to entice customers upwards through the building.

Visible from the ground floor entrance of the department store through a large full-height atrium, the ceiling provides visitors with a glimpse of the colourful produce and activities within the 7m high food hall above. Sitting inside the external envelope, the reflective surfaces wrap and unify the two food retail floors, creating movement through abstract shifting patterns of colour, which make reference to the site’s history as a flower marketplace as well as the architectural innovation and geometry of the new building, designed by Moscow-based architectural studio Project Meganom.

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Hugely impressed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ stainless steel design, the client also drew the surface down to the lower levels of the department store, including the entrance and central atrium spaces. This mirrored edging unifies the retail floors, driving footfall and sales throughout the store.

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Mahipat Singh at Tsvetnoy Central Market said, “We are very excited by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ work at Tsvetnoy Central Market, which provides the store with a unique visual identity and atmosphere. I am certain that the market will become an integral part of our customers’ lifestyles as it has revolutionised food shopping in the city, embodying the modern spirit of Moscow. Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ expertise has been a crucial element in establishing Tsvetnoy Central Market as a rival to the world’s leading department stores in New York, London, Paris, Milan and Hong Kong.”

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The food hall is flanked by six over-the-counter fresh food concessions, including a European delicatessen, a bakery and patisserie, an Asian sushi bar, fish and poultry counters, and a wine shop. The market also retails a wide range of goods including fresh fruits and vegetables, dry groceries, frozen food and flowers. To ensure that the acoustics from the busy market hall would not reverberate into the open private dining areas above, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands worked with acoustic consultant, Cole Jarman.

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Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has used feature ceilings on a number of retail schemes as a device to entice customers store wide. This approach was applied to the highly successful restaurant, bar and brasserie for Harvey Nichols at Oxo Tower Wharf, London, which features a cantilevered aerofoil roof with rotating coloured louvre blades that swivel to allow light and acoustic variations. At the La Rinascente food hall in Milan, the practice designed a glowing three-dimensional ceiling, which unified the food concessions and restaurants on the top floor
of the historic department store.

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Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands’ architectural approach to the client’s brief, utilising space, light and technology to its maximum as opposed to an interior design solution, has resulted in a sophisticated and accessible experience for visitors to Tsvetnoy Central Market.