500m2 공간을 인테리어하는 주요한 테마는 흐름이다. 고객들의 원활한 쇼핑동선의 제공은 가시성 높은 디스플레이와 각 공간의 특성을 잘 살린 독립성 확보와 이를 막힘없이 연결하는 소통공간으로 완성된다. 책을 전시, 판매하는 디스플레이 스페이스와 휴게공간, 컨퍼런스 스페이스, 레스토랑 및 바는 이러한 플랜 속에 배치된다. 기존 아치형 입구를 따라 계획된 내부공간은 중앙부에 위치한 대형홀을 기점으로 각기 다른 테마로 인테리어된 작은 공간들로 연속된다. 여기에 백색으로 페인팅된 바닥과 벽은 책의 가시성 확보 -다크컬러의 책장과 그 속에 비치된 다양한 이미지의 책들- 와 명쾌한 동선구현을 위해 인테리어 된다. 책의 진열공간을 제외한 기타 서비스공간은 블루컬러의 아치로 연결되며 각각 다른컬러와 이미지로 고객들의 편의성을 제공한다.
reviewed by SJ,오사
Normal Studio’s French designers Jean-Francois Dingjian and Eloi Chafaï saw their first interior design project as an opportunity to interpret their trademark style in a new language.
The design duo
began by identifying what this fragmented space of only 500 sqm should
be essentially about: its flow. It was flow that would govern the unity
of the space and that would provide easy access to books and the
associated services of relaxation areas, conference spaces, restaurant
and bar.
Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi, India
Program: bookstore
Designers: Normal Studio
Area: 500 sqm
Completion: 2014
Allowing books to speak and presenting them through materials, light and
furniture has resulted in an interior architecture structured around a
series of “installations’”. Each has its own function to pace the
customer pathway. The resin finish provides the unifying element that
makes these micro-spaces feel bigger and interrelated.
The entrance provides the first hint to this division of space.
Attention is immediately drawn away from its narrow dimensions by a
large-scale neon installation in which a cloud of words from literature
plunges the visitor straight into the emotive world of reading.
Comprising two small rooms, this entrance space is effectively the shop
window of the bookstore. Like an illuminated geometric cavern, it
showcases a selection of books, introducing and guiding visitors towards
the central space and Cha Bar.
The bookstore is structured to be a flowing space without doors to give visitors a clear perspective. The transition between spaces is demarcated by the arches of the original architectural structure, except that they are now painted blue, the colour of Vishnu.
The central
space is much more like a traditional bookstore. Equipped with library
steps and ladders, the book-filled shelving entirely covers the walls
like a tapestry, creating a practical solution to storing so many books
in such a relatively small space. To minimise the physical presence of
the shelves, Normal Studio has given them a graphic treatment of graded
greys, from black at floor level to white at ceiling level, where the
artificial light is washed evenly to accentuate the calm, cosy
atmosphere.
The children’s area is designed around a mini-amphitheatre, whose carpeted surfaces invite young readers to sit comfortably, and doubles as seating for readings.
The central space leads into a long, thin lecture room bathed in natural daylight: a quiet space in which to take time to read, take a break or attend a lecture. A large alcove bench seat runs around the walls, providing a place of individual escape.
The Cha Bar is entered through the five blue arches. Designed specifically for this place, the marble-topped, metal-based tables adopt a polygonal form, creating freedom of layout and the illusion of random arrangement. Lighting is provided by big circular ceiling units concealing magnetic reflectors.
from domusweb