RETAIL PROJECT
Here is the dickies showroom, which is almost like a small pop-up shop in a warehouse. Made out of entirely wood and glass, its angular geometry makes the little exhibition showroom very interesting complete with a lab as well for testing. I have done 2 drawings based on the images and then some more drawings based on these on what I think is there. The interior is drawn first from the image and then the second image is very similar, however I have drawn it from another perspective based on the front on image.
Here is a really creative example of a small retail shop with a custom-made chrome designed hanger bar. Its very impressive as it works so well to hold as much clothes as possible. The shop isn't the biggest in the world either, however it makes effective use of its space with its special hand-crafted furnishings, there's plenty of space for browsing the products and space to try them on. The building seems to be inspired by a Zaha Hadid fan with its curvaceous nature and clean aesthetic. I have done perspective drawings, elevation and floor plans of the building.
Here is a retail fashion shop which has a very utilitarian type theme of absolute minimalism and precision. It also has a creative approach with beautiful concrete beams going across. These beams hold creative clothing hanger designs of steel or iron beam rods coming down, making a creative engineering solution to the shop capacity for clothing. I quite like the interior with its sleek concrete finish it’s very modern and plain ideally what a building should be as it succeeds its purpose.
This is a small study of the retail interiors clothing display solutions. it’s quite interesting to see some of these solutions, especially the Marni flagship store one. With its curvaceous design it takes almost no space and yet still blocks our eyeline to add some flare within the building, a key interior design technique. Many of the solutions are made from a steel alloy or some sort of metal alloy to allow for maximum strength and skinniness within the material. Some of the designs also just connected the hanger system straight to the ceiling, which is very clever and space saving. However it does also mean that the space is permanently a fashion clothing shop, limiting versatility if the shop wanted to sell and move.
The Sonos shop in London is a very modern and creative solution to retails dying industry. It incorporates interior design along with its own brand identity in making a sleek flagship store. It's made out of brick, glass and black cladding. Inside it boasts small cosy cabins along with different house rooms, which case its products-most likely to give potential customers an opportunity to test their products out within the best possible environment. To increase their sales. Its very modern and eye catching.
In the continuation of the sonos shop research, here are a couple more interiors to fully understand the space. In these interiors we can see the circular ceiling lighting designs which take over most of the ceiling and is almost the main centre of attention within the interior. The space would definetly not lack from any lack of lighting. There is also a separate area which is almost like a showroom kitted with all sonos equipment. I really like this area, its like a utilitarian type design and has a very set colour scheme of grey and dark beige. In the other image we can see the famous sonos sound listening cabins, these are special sound engineered spaces to optimise the listening experience for customers and to make their product seem better. This in itself could attract customers to the store which shows the importance of architecture and customer relations. The main materials used in this space is natural oak, polished concrete and a wood of some sort to build the cabins. Everything is quite utilitarian, and the layout is very free flowing and open which makes the traffic of the building very good as well. Many of the mechanical systems are open and visible giving the space a distinctive look.
This is the nemo science museum in Amsterdam, its very innovative with it being built on a waterfront, which on its own comes with many issue. It works well, its clad in an oxidised copper cladding thus the building shifts in colour as some of it is still brown/gold. The museum itself consists of 5 open levels where visitors can access and explore. Its main features are its use of polished concrete, which gives a sleek modern look. While also proving practicality. I like its functionality and look to use this flow of the building within my own retail project.
The nemo science museum is a very exciting space, filled with so many different venues. The interior design is crucial to suit the theme and venue its going to display. I think the museum has done this quite well, towards the kids zones we see really interesting art displays and fun creative forms, when it comes to the more communal eating areas and normal social spaces-we see a complete change in the architectural style to a more sleek modern style design. In the interiors I have drawn one is of an art exhibition and the other, another exhibition of some sort. I like both of the spaces-mainly the first one as its very free flowing in its nature. The interior space is left very open, all the art pieces or displays are wall mounted or free standing which makes you pay further attention to the mural art.
Here is my research on museums, this is a children's play museum in Scotland. It boasts exciting architecture with open geometric structures and small exhibits within. I've drawn interiors elevation and perspective of the exterior of the building. I have also drawn a site plan. The building is made from steel and glass with much of the main RSJ's (rolled steel joist basically the skeleton of a building) being exposed within the building giving a more utilitarian theme. I quite like the building as its very minimal and functional.
The louvre museum is definitely one of the most spectacular museums out there, with its vast range of art and exciting architecture there's nothing that comes close to it as a museum for its purpose. I have drawn perspective views of different areas within the louvre, one being a art gallery, the other two are large communal areas. The drawing to my right is very inaccurate and does not capture the space well, while my other two drawings along with the floor plan capture and denote the space well. The floor plan is of the whole louvre which I found on their official website.
Utilitarian
HW
In my image board you can see examples of utilitarian buildings and forms. In a much more modern utilitarian you can see that its not all grey and brutal, much of the interiors here are very exciting and colourful.
HW
Movement and Flow
In this image board all of the above buildings are under the category of movement and flow. Some of the interiors literally look they flow and are seamless in their design, I prefer the flow buildings to the movement as I think they're more interesting and maybe more practical to build.
Mood Boards For the following mood boards I have not annotated anything directly onto them as I do not want to tarnish the look of anything on there. On all the mood boards the theme is strictly followed and always kept in mind. For the first mood board I have created a scene which is the only one of its kind throughout all my mood boards. This is because when researching mood boards I found there to be a saturation of these kinds of boards out there, which has sort of put me off, as I like to be as original and creative as possible. The rest of my other mood boards follow the same design premise, a large and eye catching drop back accompanied with theme relevant objects. Some of these have been arranged to create very unique tiny little scenes and scenarios to explore the ideas of these themes and how they would be implemented in real life. I have one mood board per theme which is 5 mood boards all together.
MODERN UTILITARIAN
MOVEMENT AND FLOW
ORGANIC FORMS
RECYCLING
ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT
Primary research
This is my response to the primary photo work; I have picked movement and flow and utilitarian themes for my project. Here is an example of utilitarian design, its very basic and designed purely for its job. The images are of a train station entrance which obviously is very simple as it just needs to serve its purpose and doesn’t need to be fancy, as its not a place where people will be staying more going in and out of. I have drawn the images in the drawings above, outlining the details of the utilitarian design. I have also further refined the images into much simpler and smaller designs to explore the ideas of utilitarian design.
Primary research
These are my simplified drawings of this utilitarian form, which is a mechanical air vent. From these primary research drawings, I have used them to create forms and ideas in creating my final project.
Here is my ideas development, I used my drawings of the primary photos and traced over parts of them to create ideas for interiors.
Here is my response to a primary photo of the Stratford orbital sculpture, I have drawn a floor plan and a simple front on elevation view. The form is very interesting and technical. Even my attempted drawing does not capture the technical nature of the form with the copious amount of steel joists to keep it stable. My drawings is a more simplified version of the image.
Communal spaces analysis
The Essex design guides, key principle for open public spaces design
From the national association of realtors the main characteristics a good public space checklist
Another good key principle
This is a very interesting article on consumer behaviour within retail stores, it states that its the designers job to create a more slower journey, from the faster one the consumer has just come from outside.
This is very interesting and extremely useful information, that will help to build my interior. Its very interesting to find out the techniques of other retail designers in trying to increase store visitor ship or potential sales. If I have learnt anything from this research-its that within the retail industry the designer not only takes into account the design, but also the marketing of the brand and the brands customers.
Here is a simple model made out of the same material, the form is very simple and efficient. You could argue that it’s a utilitarian type interior design feature, its interesting and does the job of making the simple square space interesting. In the bird's eye view you can see the simplicity of the interior. It provides good space for customers to walk around and browse different clothing displays. Like in most of the models I have created, I prefer to always have a open and free flowing layout, which also ties in with my theme of movement and flow.
This is the developmental drawing of the previous model, I have drawn the model in a plan view so I can explore ideas with the layout of the building. I can also through drawings these models up, explore the traffic of a building and the flow. A building with good layout means that customers can flow in and out feeling eased and relaxed.
In this model here we can see my exploration of ideas, one of the main concepts in interior design is to block the eyeline from a boring square box. This makes the space much more interesting and enticing-Something key in a dying industry. In this model here there are many different forms. In this space I'm assuming I have the luxury of high ceilings thus my forms are tall In nature. Many of these forms would be furnished in clothing displays. The images I have recorded are perspectives and a floor plan view
This model here I have drawn the model in a perspective view to get a better idea for the space and its usage, while also drawing a floor plan. The layout of this interior space is a lot better with much more breathing room and plenty of areas for clothing displays, this is defintely a model I will take into account for my final model, the forms are also very creative and effective for their purpose. Dare I say utilitarian.
This model here is quite complex, much of its quirky components and forms have been inspired by prior research, the Sonos shop gave me the ideas to make this sort of small secluded “inner building” within the space on the right. The space is quite evenly segregated, you could argue that the traffic of the building is a little bit hectic its fairly tight and compact, which I think is the falling of the space however it can easily be opened up by removing parts. I like the idea of the privacy within the space, the space is very versatile I think that it would be suitable for many different types of industries. I have close up images of particular interesting components and more perspective and floor plan views.
In this model here we can see that its quite complex and enclosed. I quite like the layout of the model its very cosy and compact, I would however in my final model not have it as compact-as it is in this model as in real life scale. It would be incredibly tight and claustrophobic.
In this model here I explore the ideas of angular archways, many of these wall forms have angular openings to create the idea of free-flowing movement within the building. The space I have created follows the theme of movement and flow thus it has such an open nature about it, this type of design would be suitable for a building that has a lot of natural lighting coming within it. Natural light would compliment the space very well, or just good studio lighting like spot lights coming down from the wall would be very effective. There are perspective images and floor plan views of this space.
This model here is one of my favourites in terms of layout, I would definitely look to implement some of its features and flow. Within a lot of my models, you see a lot of curved forms, mainly because I find these effective at blocking out a large empty space of area and it can easily become a display unit of some sort while also looking aesthetically pleasing.
In this model here we can see the heavy influence of my research from the Marni flagship store. Many of the design components within the model have been inspired from the Marni store. The metal wire form is a clothes hangar design to hold as much clothing as possible without compromising on space. The circular form on the right in the above image with the angular form in the middle is another clothing display. In the centre there is also a triangular table where folded clothes could be. The design itself is very simple and open flowing. The layout is also very compact and of a cocooning type nature, providing a more immersive experience of the shop. I have close ups of some of the clothing displays, perspective images and a floor plan layout of this model design.
This model here is also very good in its sense of flow and practicality, the interior space has a nice open airy layout which is something I like but also, I like the compactness of my other models. In my final model I think that I will rather go with an open airy layout as my main theme is utilitarianwhich means my interior layout should serve its purpose. And also that I physically prefer a more open layout, as it gives a more relaxing and calming energy towards customers.
Here in this model I have experimented with the idea of a cocooning nest type design, the non bearing walls create a sheltering effect giving the customers a more immersive shopping experience. While also keeping them more engaged and visually stimulated. I also quite like the idea of the door entrances to be cut in the walls, which keeps up with the aesthetic of the other design forms and also continues the theme of utilitarian design as there is no unnecessary extra design work. There are perspective views and floor plan views.
This model again is very free and open, the forms are also quite interesting, however with this model I think its more a creative design rather than practical which lets it down. Designing shelving displays, electrical or mechanical systems within them for the buildings engineering would be very difficult. While it enjoy its look, I don’t think I would like to use something very creative which jeopardises its functionality.
Here in this model, you can see my exploration of ideas. In this model I explore the ideas of partition walls and non load bearing walls to add some spark and interest within the building. The forms I have created could also have display shelving on them and be used almost like a showroom.
This model here is very simple, and not saturated in forms which makes it differ to my other models. To a certain extent I like this type of design as sometimes plain and simple is the way to go. I think that a model like this would be ideal for a smaller interior with much less space, as compared to an interior with more ceiling height and space.
In this model here, I have thoroughly explored the ideas of a retail shop within this form. The metal wire form you see is a creative idea for clothing display, the inspiration for that came through my earlier research. I quite like this model as its very interesting while practical, it breaks the space up and gives privacy for different displays. While also containing a good flow about the building, there is no cut off within the walking areas, its very open and continuous. Which makes it a very good idea for a retail shop.
This model is quite special amongst the other ones, as it has a form within another form. I like the idea of this as It opens up ideas to create special clothing displays for a brands most utmost expensive clothing wear. Or it could just be a simple walkway where people walk in and out of, a means of controlling the flow within the building in a more exciting manner. This in turn could be beneficial as it more customers could be attracted. In my final design I think something of this nature will definitely be explored and or even used.
Different material model HW
This model is comprised of many random materials, the model contains archways with plenty of width for displays to fit onto. A circular piece going through a archway to divide up the space and a rope barrier going round the perimeter. This could perhaps represent the barrier of a space and does not have to be on the floor. It could be suspended in the air to represent the limitations of the store. The model itself is very random, though I do think somehow it works, In the many archways shelving could be fitted and the rope barrier could be lifted up and make a sort of artistic piece to attract customer attention
Using the paper models I created previously, I have mixed and matched model forms with each other. This helps in my final model as I have thoroughly explored many different ideas and with the process of elimination come up with my final model. I have mixed and matched the model forms for both floorplan layouts and actual interior views to gain a insight into how it would actually look. Note that the floor plan and the perspective views are not the same model.
Developmental final model drawings
Here are my preliminary sketches of the floor plan layout, you can see my ideas and notes for what I was thinking about doing. In SketchUp I did try some of these changes but I actually didn’t like any of them and eventually just decided to stay with the original design as seen above. In my actual CAD floor plan it’s the exact same with some very small minor changes that are practically unnoticeable.
The changing room issue It had soon and quickly became apparent that there was a major issue with the changing room design, it being that people walking at the top of the stairs can see into the changing room. So it needs to be changed and the curtain basically needs to cover the whole form. In this drawing here you can see my thought process on how to work this out. I think that a strong paper type curtain, would be able to be folded out like how I have illustrated by the dashed lines. Furthermore a invisible rod (a simple solid rod that alludes the human perception by its angle and tilt) can be used and a normal curtain can be draped over-creating a turtle shell look. specially required engineered hinges will be needed for a paper curtain as it will become quite heavy pretty quick for the length that would be needed. So I think that maybe the invisible rod idea is better
This a recessed glass centre piece, it allows light to flood in to the bottom floor from the top, and to give a visually stimulating appeal to customers. On top of it is the large clothing display system which would be able to display clothing to the bottom floor. This is a gym, I have a gym in my store, as firstly the clothing brand is based around the gym. And also, my purpose for it is that the store could host small events within the gym, like competitions or tutorials on proper weightlifting etc. Also on the ground floor there is a changing room where maybe customers could try on potential clothes and go to the gym and test it out almost. Although I'm not sure if that last idea could work in a sanitary manner. In my previous research we can also see that a main attraction is key in creating customer attraction which is what I have implemented here
Like in the bottom floor another clothing display unit with a rail across to hang more clothes and display
Before I get onto the actual renderings and interior forms within my store, I would like to firstly show the floor plan layout. At a first glance I can imagine this is very confusing. My brand choice is Gymshark as I decided to go into the sports fashion theme early on in the brief but however, I struggled to chose a brand I liked. The interior itself reflects this with forms made with the theme in mind. Specially designed railing system to protect people from falling over in to the stairwell.
This is a mannequin platform which has drawers for store apparel and general belongings, for the store maintenance or just anything in general.
This is a shelving unit form, it would contain a good amount of clothing and accessories. It also has some branding on the top
Inspired by the Marni store, I have used their hangar system design in my own store. I think this is a very efficient way of saving space and having as much stock within the shop
This form here/ area is where customers would go to pay for their chosen item, its almost like a till but a modern and curvy one. Small shelving unit for the till apparel
The retail industry is a dying one, with everything becoming online and the need for a in shop experience becoming less common. I have decided to have some mannequin platforms where the gym shark clothing can be shown. I think this would be a good marketing technique to attract more customers. Again inspired from previous research a striking piece is likely to attract peoples attention, which this should do. This is the winding staircase, its very wide allowing for people to freely walk up and down simultaneously with ease. I have also added some Gymshark quotes along the glass façade. This is a very creative changing room, which would require a specialist hinge design which I will do drawings later on, my idea for this is that the curtain would be made of a paper material to allow rigidity and flexibility.
VRAY SKETCHUP RENDERINGS For the renderings of the building, I chose to use Vray for SketchUp as I think I have more control of the rendering with it, and also I personally think it gives very nice renders and shadow effects. I have split the interior apart to allow light to flood into the building to emphasise the design of the interior. Although this is not very realistic of real lighting design, I think this helps in gaining a better appreciation and understanding of the layout. Furthermore the location is unknown towards this interior space, I think that it would suit a more traditional building style, compared to a modern abstract shaped building or site plan.
1st Floor
Ground Floor
This is my final model handmade, its made from grey card to make the walls which was scored, folded and then glued. And also balsa wood for more intricate details. This model may look very empty and dull however, in accordance with the design brief I have only made the structural features of the model. I'm not very happy with the model as I think that it could be more cleaner and sharp, there are also some feint hot glue markings on the floors which are hard to clean. The model is made in 1:100 scale, through Revit I imported my model and printed off the floor plan. From there I built straight on it while still measuring to be precise. From an engineering point of view my building is quite simple and stable, the walls are all load bearing as it has to hold the weight of customers and clothing, the beams at the back of the building are RSJ’s which have been made by cutting and sticking grey card together. The interior itself is sound and safe also.