Excerpt: The POD Store is a retail space designed by the architectural firm Reasoning Instincts Architecture Studio in Ahmedabad, India. The store attempts to break away from the stereotype perception of a nut and dry fruit store and to create a unique retail experience catering to all age groups. The firm embraced the challenge to design a retail store offering a wide range of natural and processed nuts and dry fruits. A concept was developed based on the notions of ‘self-sufficient pods’ that could bring a sense of ‘repose’ for the visitor in their exploration of the store. The conventional aisle system was questioned and instead a more intimate ‘pod’ based system was proposed to cater the movement of the visitors. All design elements were developed cohesively with intent to communicate and interact with respective functions.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by Architect] Traditionally across India, nuts and dry fruits uphold high significance in all households and often allied as symbol of prosperity and wellness. By and large existing nuts and dry fruit wholesale markets and retail shops, offer a very docile and passive shopping experience. In such a context, we embraced the challenge to design a retail store offering a wide range of natural and processed nuts and dry fruits. he brief was to breakaway the stereotype perception of a nut and dry fruit store and to create a unique retail experience catering to all age groups.
Confined to a small carpet area of 900sqft, the site is located within a popular commercial area bustling with various organized and unorganized commercial activities. Though the location had its potential high footfall rate, the challenge was to achieve good visibility of for the store while maintaining its dignity within such a chaotic physical context.
Capitalizing on the creative freedom offered and interpreting the brief, conceptually a proposal was developed to create a unique and memorable retail experience. An experience that needed to be unprecedented and reflective to the contemporary times, with active movement, high energy and a pleasant involvement for the retailers and the buyers.
A concept was developed based on the notions of ‘self-sufficient pods’ that could bring a sense of ‘repose’ for the visitor in their exploration of the store. The conventional aisle system was questioned and instead a more intimate ‘pod’ based system was proposed to cater the movement of the visitors. All design elements were developed cohesively with intent to communicate and interact with respective functions.
A contemporary expression inspired by traditional salvers of nuts and dryfruits, multiplied and organized into different tiers and made by readily available large ‘aluminum plates’, defines the unifying language of the pods. The pods were further customized based on the products and the contents. This was supported with sufficient and specific storage space and cold storages. An interactive tasting feature was conceived and installed on one of the longer edges of the store. These features give the user an opportunity to know about the origins of the exotic dry fruits. The cash counter was integrated in the same design language and materials along with its specific requirements of billing machines and check-out display.
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