An ‘A-Class’ Showroom - Design Connect catches up with Rahul Bansal and Amit Aurora, Principal Architects, groupDCA who designed the showroom of well-known marble company in Rajasthan

Design Connect catches up with Rahul Bansal and Amit Aurora, Principal Architects, groupDCA who designed the showroom of well-known marble company in Rajasthan.

Where is this showroom based at?

The A-Class Marble showroom is spread over 25,000 sq. ft. and is located in Vth Phase, RIICO Industrial Area, Madanganj, Kishangarh, Rajasthan

What were the initial thoughts of the client when he approached you with the project?

the book. Envisaged as an experience centre, the planning comprised of retail display spaces, a central experience area, guest rooms and traditional culinary facilities for the customers as well as all assorted facilities necessary for the main showroom.

What kind of space was made available to execute the project?

The brief called for a design that would let customers be the honoured guests of the business, and not just an additional deal in

The Kishangarh showroom for A-Class Marble, spread over 25,000 sq. ft, was conceptualized to demonstrate the legacy and lineage of the brand it is. This breadth-taking showroom is a unique blend of Classical Greek and Roman Architecture. The awe-inspiring features of the showroom are the magnificent lobby with a majestic spiral staircase, the checkerboard pattern flooring laid down in a circular design and the artistic Venetian Mosaic on the walls that will take one to the pinnacle of craftsmanship. This architectural marvel is engineered to create a living inspiration, showcasing how imagination can meet its quintessence.

What kind of dedicated areas are there in this project?

into four distinct zones for the ease of appreciation, the Experience centre, the showroom area, the Granite Fiandre retail area, and the building façade. Designed to be unfolding, the space slowly exposes itself to the person walking in, making the visitor experience to be ‘something that has not been seen before’. The mystery has been kept alive by blocking off the customer’s views in the entrance; the ‘wow’ factor emerges, as he walks in through the large retail display space. From the initial awestruck sensation, the design journey takes a front-foot and places the visitor at the door of the central experience centre. The space is designed

keeping in mind the user flow, and the look and feel of the space which is of utmost importance, with the focus being the incorporation of elements that bring in the ‘wow’ factor in the journey at regular intervals.

The showroom epitomises opulence what materials have been utilized to bring this effect to life?

Marble Used 1. Entrance

• Reception Desk– Belgium Black & Smokey Onyx • Geometrical pattern flooring - Belgium Black , Thasos white & Basaltino

2. Lobby • Flooring - Dark Emperador • Staircase – Thasos White Marble • Checkboard flooring – Giallo Siena and Thasos White marble • Murals – Venetian Mosaic on Travertino Wall

3. MD’s Cabin • Flooring – Statuario and Bottichino • Lounge Flooring – Golden Statuario • Lounge outer border – Rosso Portugal

4. Display Showroom • Flooring - Basaltino

How did you go about the selection of colour which has been put to use?

The different colours of the space come out basis the different marbles that have been used in the design of the showroom. They have been used to create a flow and a symmetry in the space. Sober colours on the walls and retail display area has been used to allow the samples to stand out from the backdrop.

How does this space lay an emphasis on the product it is trying to sell?

The product samples have been comprehensively organized in a compact space to engage the customer; the overall design puts the exotic stones in the forefront highlighting them. While the customer moves around eyeing the samples, the walls, floor and the furniture take a subtle step back enabling the customer to select the final product.

When it comes to interior accessories, were they custom designed or were branded versions put to use?

The managing director’s room is also clad in precious marble and is planned with a waiting lobby and a meeting room, to enable personalization and plush. The walls are clad in marbles of varying tones of grey, and the furniture is glaze polished shades of wooden brown.

The blend sits in perfect agreement to each other, graced by a gold finished metallic artwork of a dry leaf, hung on the wall overseeing the waiting space. The dining area besides the central space is similarly designed, with lavish marble clad walls and a regal circular dining set taking the Centre stage. The conference space sits just beside the dining room.

In a nutshell – all the interiors are from marble, which stands as a testament to the brand and showcases the length and breadth of how marble can be used in the interiors.

What kind of light have been utilised in this space?

To resonate with the luxury and opulence of the space – artificial lighting and chandeliers have been added to the space.

Importing the finest marble from over a hundred countries, carefully processing the raw import to placing the finished product on the racks, A-Class Marble has gone the extra mile to deliver to the exponentially growing luxury marble market in India. As a part of their brand-engagement and public relations, they approached groupDCA to design a space reflective of their character.

In keeping up with the value of living lives through our designs and incorporating the brand identity into the architecture, groupDCA use diverse marble varieties of A-Class for the impressive interiors. One feels a certain adrenaline rush upon entering the central experience centre; a gigantic volume with a thirty feet high ceiling catches the visitor unprepared, leaving him in complete awe through its scale, the opulence and classical magnificence.

The space emanates a strong mid-Victorian classical vibe, recreating the ambience of the main hall of a high Victorian bungalow! The semi-circular stairs add to the elegance while the flooring in a radial pattern, originates at the focus of the staircase, spreading out to the entire carpet space.

Connect Online@ For groupDCA : www. groupdca.in For A-Class Marble www.aclassmarble.co.in