Design
A question of space
We extended a space both in reality – the vertical space-
and visually – the horizontal space. The whole project
hinged on this principle and on the staircase that invited
you in and upstairs – the vertical space – creating that
sense of curiosity plus allowing customers easy access to the
company’s other upstairs services” she explained.
To initially give the place a bigger feel they introduced
mirrors and also an interactive wall made up of a number
of TV screens to show off client’s products. At the same
time this wall acted as an interactive interface that could
be accessed by clients’ mobile phones or tablets and in
itself it also became a working tool in the hands of the
photographic shop’s staff. At night this wall changed its role
and became an advertising medium as the shop shutter was
purposely transparent. “The emphasis was always on giving
customers a overall experience when they visited the place.
And the treatment was extended also to the passing trade.
The result was that it intrigued customers and people did
actually come in because of it,” continued Sarah.
The introduction of mirrors into the design was
one of the means utilised by Unfold Architects in
giving the contained place a bigger feel.
The major advantage we
had is that our client was
completely open to our
ideas
DESIGN&BUILD
“Attention to lighting was an important factor of the
project since this was, after all, a photographic set up so we
had to keep that always in mind” added Alexia.
In this minuscule area, space was found for a photo
booth, for a central counter and all its paraphernalia,
for 3 printing stations (where one could walk in, plug in
and print one’s photos), and, obviously, space was needed
for their “grand” staircase. “Good quality materials gave
you a feeling that the space was bigger than it was. The wall
mirror and the Carrara marble floors add to the overall
feeling for the customer experience” continue Sarah.
“There was a lot of cladding too” laughed Alexia, adding that
“this was needed because the walls weren’t uniform, so every
millimetre was precious to us… and a 7cm bulge in the wall
was really bad news…the walls weren’t plumb at all!”
From paper to reality
“Getting it all done was a feat in itself” said Sarah. “After
months of preparatory work on the drawing board it came
down to a straight 2-and-a-half months of hard work
on site,” she said, adding that “Working with different
contractors all together was one of the biggest challenges.”
Q 2 , 2017
63