VERONZO CERAMICS SHOWROOM RENOVATION

2024 | Isfahan | Sheykh-Mofid

The project of renovating the multi-functional collection of Veronzo ceramics in Isfahan was a continuation and refraction of the same kind of thinking that we took earlier in the development of the DNA of this brand in the design of its head office in Tehran. Changing the model that was based on a distinct type of quality service to customers. The project was situated on Sheikh Mofid Street in Isfahan. The client had already started renovating and implementing some infrastructure such as mechanical installations and elevators. He also had experience working with our team on designing and renovating the main office in Tehran, so he decided to use the same approach for this project and inject the design language into all its branches, so he left the work to us.

Available values:

The project was valuable in two ways, firstly, as a branch of the head office, the project had to present the same design language in a commercial capacity, and secondly, this branch was supposed to provide different functions in a common genome to the audience at several levels. These two strategic reasons made dealing with this project an example for other branches of this brand, increasing our responsibility towards the project.

Flaws and Challenges:

The most important challenges we had to deal with were:

1- The existence of three floors in a single body, which were supposed to have various administrative, commercial, and public uses according to the initial proposal.

2- How to deal with the facilities and infrastructure implemented by the employer.

3- A poor Facade of the store, while the client's request was only the interior design.

Design strategies:

The message we received from the managers of this brand was that Veronzo's goal was to move the boundaries of the service cycle from production to presentation to the audience and after-sales service. Therefore, by translating this message into architectural language, we tried to move the classical boundaries between floor, wall, and ceiling, and by connecting spaces and creating spatial intertwining, we injected fluid cytoplasm for the audience's presence and experience in the project.

Our general decision for the design of the space was that, firstly, the design language of this project as a branch of the central brand should provide the type of thinking of the brand and the product that is presented in it, and the project should also invite the audience to experience a space to present multi-functional and intertwined levels to the audience as a coherent continuum.

Design process:

Spatial and functional forecasts:

The design process started by determining the functional areas and dividing the space into three main scenarios. The upper part was dedicated to the administrative and management function of the complex so that it could have a borderless connection with the entrance part while defining privacy. By the way of thinking of the brand and contrary to the common view, we made the lower floor, which had a significant area, available to the public space instead of the sales department to accommodate events, dialogue between designers and manufacturers, and a hangout for industry people, and by having a cafe space, provide a different atmosphere and message from the dialog with the audience. The ground floor was dedicated to the ceramic sales gallery section so that customers could have immediate contact with it. A suitable functional solution regarding the fastest possible sales scenario (choice order) and respect for the customer is a problem that the employer was looking for from the beginning. Our answer to this problem had two different aspects. The first part was related to the location of the product display space at the closest distance to the audience at any moment to avoid cliches and crowded stands for the audience, which made the display process time-consuming for the audience, and provided the audience with faster access to the products. In the other part, furniture was designed that is both a seating position for the customer and a section for displaying catalogs and product guides. In addition, the central furniture also plays a significant role in defining and directing the circulation spaces of customers.

Form design literature:

First, we tried to extend the implemented infrastructural elements so that from their continuity we can use functional components and visual extras in a continuum, as part of a common whole. Then, we tried to create a borderless connection in a multi-level space by contemporizing body design literature, inspiration from ceramic structures, and using the morphology of crystallized minerals, by creating interconnected surfaces, while connecting the space semantically with the presented content.

Development of the range of interventions (Facade):

The initial request of the client was the interior design, but the internal organization alone could not answer the mentioned importance of the project, so while consulting with the client, it was decided that the field of interventions should be extended to the exterior of the project as well. First, we tried to organize the urban appearance of the project by creating a continuous skin on the existing anomalies (coolers, gas pipes, etc.). Then, we tried to establish an inevitable link between the outer shell and the space inside the project. So, the facade shell was pulled inside to make the store more inviting by connecting to the interior elements of the space. At the same time, this work made a single character to be presented to the audience in the external and internal experience.

Project implementation (problems and solutions):

The implementation of the plan brought different challenges. The reason for the challenge of the design was that, firstly, the material used had to be implemented on large and integrated surfaces, and secondly, due to the old building, it was necessary to use a light material while retrofitting, which at the same time has high resistance to withstand the goods. And even in the furniture section, to bear the weight of customers. So, we decided to proceed with the rest of the design with plaster and elastic fabric panels, except for the stair section, whose structure was already implemented, in its outer part, we used thin metal sheets, so that maximum details with minimum weight could be implemented in the structure. In the furniture section, raw MDF boards and polyurethane paint were used to be able to move while coordinating with other sections. In the lighting part of the table, we used projector downlights so that while throwing light on the products, they do not cause glare to the audience.

Type: Complex (Office, Commercial, Educational)

Location: Sheykh-mofid, Isfahan, Iran

Client: Veronzo Group (Mostafa Mirzabeigi, Hamed Karbasion, Soheil Hosseinzadeh)

Design and Supervision: Hasht Architects, Studio Ghaffari

Principle Architects: Iman Hedayati, Mohammad Ghaffari, Shahab Ahmadi

Design Team Manager: Ali Ahmadi

Design Team: Niloufar Mohammadzadeh, Mahsa Dorchei, Mona Assadi, Farnaz Agahi

Detail Design: Mona Assadi, Mahsa Dorchei

Construction: Hamed Karbasion, Mohammad Shahriari

Structure: Mohammad Heydari

Electrical Facilities: Aral Noor Company

Mechanical Facilities: Sadr Argham

Moving Mechanism: Ali Golshan

Stretch Ceiling: Layl Company

Graphics and Presentation: Mahsa Dorchei, Farnaz Agahi

Photography: Mohammadhassan Ettefagh, Negar Sadighi

Area: 400 Square meters

Date:2024