Mobile Retail Space / I-Con Architects and Urban Planners

Architects: I-Con Architects and Urban Planners
Location: Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Architect In Charge: Ar. Dhaval Rangani
Area: 152.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Nouman Malik

Team: Vishal Akabari, Chetna Shethiya
Client: Dev Mobile
Consultantes: Savan Kakadiya Associates

Located on the main street of Rajkot city, the site with a built area of 152 SQ.M spanning over two floors was provided to design a mobile retail store. The store was conceptualized to accentuate the retails, by depicting the importance of connectivity, while possessing an essence of tradition. Connection and intimacy is reflected through a soft transition in varying brick technology and a warm earthy colour palette.

The outer brick jali façade acts like a porous skin creating curiosity, to encourage the passerby to flow in and get diluted into the retail atmosphere. The bricks are weaved into 19 mm diameter steel rods. The steel bars projecting beyond the bricks depicts antenna that catches the connection frequencies.

The cutout in the façade allows a vertical visual connectivity from the road to the display window by forming a frame to it. The front face display is emphasized with waste wood and a background of traditional style window shutters.

The foreground allows a greater footfall in the open to sky space for temporary display and gatherings with planters placed to treat the existing manholes aesthetically. The ground floor space is a straight access to mobile accessories section and the owner’s chamber.

As one reaches the mid-landing, the display squares along the way takes one through a journey of evolution and innovation in telephone in the field of telecommunication to create an exciting experience beyond retail.

While the floor and walls are cladded in bricks, the furniture is carved from waste wood and glass to provide a sense of visual neutrality. The brick holes create a visual disguise of extended connectivity.

The counters were designed along the periphery in a rectangular loop arrangement to increase a wider angle view and a central seating to generate a two-way moment, creating curiosity to browse around and engage into cross shopping.

Customers can sit calmly while having an in-store experience and a two way perception of the display (shelf and the counter). The continuous display shelf depicts the telecommunication frequency graph with a warm inviting brick backdrop.

The re-used waste paper tube lighting creates a majestic ceiling chandelier enhancing the dramatic character of the space and a distinctive view of technological virtual display.