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Pop Up - BioOptical

Crudo Oficina

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Front view of the Pop Up- Curtains open, located in Punta Carretas Mall. Credits: - Juan Andres Nin
Front view of the Pop Up - Curtains closed, located in Punta Carretas Mall - Juan Andres Nin
Top view of the Pop Up - Located in Punta Carretas mall, Drone view - Juan Andres Nin
Front view of the Pop Up- Curtains open, located in Punta Carretas Mall. Credits: - Juan Andres Nin

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Pop-Up Store
8.23
8.32
8.27
8.82
8.41
Paolo Torri
Paolo Torri Exhibition Design Manager at Pedrali
9
9
8.5
9.5
9
Ray Chou
Ray Chou Founder and Creative Director at Vermilion Zhou Design Group
7.5
8
7.5
8
7.75
Peter Greenberg
Peter Greenberg Partner at Ester Bruzkus Architekten
Nicely conceived and executed...
8.5
9
9
9.5
9
Ethan Yao
Ethan Yao China Resources Land at Deputy General Manager and Chief Architect of Design Management
9
7.5
7.5
8
8
Alexandra Cantacuzene
Alexandra Cantacuzene Director of Interior Design at Al Futtaim Real Estate Group
7.5
8
8
9
8.13
Clemence Pirajean
Clemence Pirajean Cofounder at Pirajean Lees
8
7.5
8
9
8.13
Ina Nikolova
Ina Nikolova Partner & Senior Project Manager at Kinzo Architekten
9
9
9
9.5
9.13
Ali Mohammadioun
Ali Mohammadioun Founder at E plus A Atelier
8.5
8
8.5
9
8.5
Paul Birkhead
Paul Birkhead Cofounder and Creative Director at Syn Retail
7.5
8
7.5
8.5
7.88
Vandana Dhawan Saxena
Vandana Dhawan Saxena Founder and Design Principal at Studio IV Designs
8
9
8.5
9
8.63
Hong-Bo Cheng
Hong-Bo Cheng Founder and Creative Designer at LubanEra·Design
8
8.5
9
8
8.38
Client
Grupo Altavista
Floor area
36 ㎡
Completion
2023
Budget
30.000 USD
Social Media
Instagram
Wood work
Furniture
Lighting

BioOptical is a modular retail installation that challenges conventional standards by prioritizing reuse and zero waste. Designed to adapt to multiple locations, configurations, and temporalities, the project offers a flexible and sustainable alternative to the short-lived logic typical of pop-up retail.

Commissioned by Grupo Altavista—a company undergoing B-Corp certification—the project was created to promote three sustainable eyewear brands: Áureo, Mytho, and Karün. The brief called for a lightweight, mobile structure, easy to assemble and disassemble without tools, and capable of adjusting in both size and form to a wide range of contexts.

These three brands share a common philosophy rooted in the use of recycled and biodegradable materials—such as bio-acetate and ocean-recovered plastics. These values were adopted as guiding principles of the architectural design, resulting in a spatial device grounded in sustainability, traceability, and circularity. The installation becomes not just a commercial support, but an extension of the ethics behind the products it exhibits.

In addition, the system integrates a user-driven circular economy strategy: individuals who donate used eyewear receive a discount on new purchases. The collected frames are then donated to the El Abrojo Foundation, where they are refurbished and redistributed to underserved communities. The commercial space thus also functions as a platform for social redistribution.

The system is organized into three main components:

Structure: Built from three galvanized steel pieces that assemble through a simple interlocking system—requiring no tools or specialized labor. The components are durable, reusable, and designed for long-term use.

Shelving: Made of CNC-milled birch plywood, sanded and finished with water-based coatings. Each shelf fits into the metal frame and includes custom grooves to accommodate LED neon lighting.

Textile Enclosure: A curtain made from 100% organic cotton, subdivided according to the structural grid. It forms a flexible and breathable skin that allows for dynamic, adjustable configurations of opening and closure.

The material palette was chosen for its traceability, resilience, and low environmental impact. Protective treatments were applied using eco-conscious techniques, ensuring longevity while minimizing ecological footprint.

Beyond material logic, BioOptical Pop-up is a declaration on the evolving nature of retail spaces: no longer disposable, but mobile, durable, and regenerative. Developed in collaboration with local fabricators and small-scale producers, the project embraces a decentralized model of production—aligning product and space through a unified sustainable vision.

Since its launch just over a year ago, BioOptical has been deployed in diverse settings—ranging from shopping malls to design fairs—proving its versatility across scales, uses, and environments.