Store Zero Two by Studio Infinity:
Store Zero Two is a project driven a client brief of streamlining and redefining the conventional Retail Store and the traditional ways of carrying this business out.
The client, a second generation businessman, came to the designers and Studio Infinity with their ideas of taking their family business to another level. They wanted to setup a new store in one of the most sought after localities of the city. The family already had a well-established grocery and general store, not very far from the chosen site for their new venture.
Store Zero Two is a project driven a client brief of streamlining and redefining the conventional Retail Store and the traditional ways of carrying this business out. It is an effort to compete with big brands which slowly were destroying small retailers. The space that he had purchased was part of a small commercial cum residential under construction building. Including the mezzanine, the total carpet area was close to 1720 sq.ft. As a bear shell property, the only constrains for us were position of the staircase and toilets. Also, since the other parts of the complex were under construction, this store couldn’t really get a foreground.
In the initial stages it was very important for us to understand the dreams and aspirations of the client. Although, his design brief was very much to the point in terms of space and storage requirement, the underlying thoughts were crucial. So, we started first by understanding how this business has been carried out traditionally and then defining the way how our designs will cater to the new line of thoughts. There was to be a drastic shift from the age old ‘dukan’ to the more sophisticated super store. The scale was not as large as big departmental malls, but the overall shopping experience was supposed to be the same. From across the counter sales it was now to be a more self-selection based system. And all these factors became the starting point for our designs.
Design Development:
Once the space planning was done based on functional requirements, we focused on defining a strong visual language for the entire store. As a response to the organic and natural items at sale in this store, we decided to follow an earthier palette than a typical glossy outlook seen all over such stores. Matt grey floor, agro wood, clay tile cladding and cement paint defined the material palette. MS pipes were used for railing and also to make a 27feet long artwork on the ceiling. This element helped us visually connect entire length of the store.
The customer circulation and movement governed placement of racks. Due to less height below the mezzanine, false ceiling was restricted to unavoidable locations. Thus, major source of lighting were surface mounted tracks strategically placed as per rack positions. The heights and depths of racks were derived based on the category of products to be stored on them. We had to roughly categorise and consider over 2000 types of products with various size of packaging. Further, distribution was also done floor wise in order to help the customer smoothly traverse thru’ the entire store and not miss even a single item.
Detailing:
As a conscious effort we decided to keep the visual language of our furniture in such way that the colourful food items and their packaging get highlighted. In such scenario, proper detailing was a key to cohesively combine various interior elements. The continuity of shelves is broken at random intervals to move away from the monotony of wall to wall display racks. For flexibility in signage, every shelf had a black board painted panel.
Where ever possible, greenery was inserted thru’ small indoor plants, which eventually proved to be good visual break in the otherwise packed store. The front façade is continuation of the arch forms along with clay tile cladding. Special care was taken to design and provide strategic lighting for overall spatial experience and for highlighting various products.
Project: Store Zero Two Location: Law College Road, Pune Category: Retail Store Firm: Studio Infinity
Website: http://www.studioinfinity.in/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio_infinity_pune/ Lead Architects: Tushar Kothawade & Chiranjivi Lunkad Photo Credits: Atul Kanetkar
Website: http://www.atulkanetkar.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atulkanetkar/
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