Unveiling Kube Arquitetura's Award-Winning AquaRio Store Design

Immersive Retail Experience Inspired by the Majesty of the Humpback Whale

When Kube Arquitetura was tasked with designing the gift shop for AquaRio, they had one key piece of inspiration: a humpback whale skeleton hanging in the aquarium's entrance hall. The result is a 420-square-meter walkthrough store that immerses visitors in an oceanic experience, from the sand on the walls to the pebble-strewn floor.

The store's main displays, inspired by the organic curves of whale ribs, lend the space a sense of flowing, light movement. These "rib" displays gradually reveal the products, creating levels of intimacy as visitors explore the store. The blue hues at the store's entrance invite visitors to dive into the space, enhancing the underwater atmosphere.

Such a unique design approach has not gone unnoticed. In 2017, the AquaRio gift shop design was awarded the Golden A' Design Award in the Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design category. This prestigious award recognizes marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. It honors products and ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.

The design team, consisting of Juliana Neves, Taia Mendes, Raphaela Fogaça, Carolina Magoga, and Lucia Santoro, has successfully transformed a retail space into a sensory journey. The AquaRio store is more than just a place to buy souvenirs; it's an integral part of the aquarium's visitor experience, a place that can be felt without being noticed.

With its innovative approach to retail design, Kube Arquitetura has demonstrated how a store can transcend its commercial purpose to become a space of exploration and discovery. The AquaRio gift shop is a testament to the power of design to create engaging, memorable experiences.