Design Center – All under one roof
By: Ar. Ramiz Baig
Photography & Images: Courtesy S Abdulla
In recent times we have seen in Pakistan an introduction to “all under one roof” solutions as far as retail and even household goods are concerned. So it comes as no surprise that an established name like S Abdulla and Co. offered such a solution for interiors.
S Abdulla and Co has been the leading name in Karachi for tiles and sanitary fittings for many a years. Clients from all over Pakistan flocked their outlet in the city of lights for most of their requirements. The company realizing this growing demand over the years from the north decided to expand in the heart of Pakistan, Lahore as Design Center, and chose architects Arshad Shahid Abdulla (ASA) to design the exterior and interior of the building.
The building Design Center is located in a then recently commercialized area and thus there was the allowance of having a building with around 50,000 sq.ft of usable space. The building exterior comes as a surprise in Lahore as one doesn’t expect to see a fair-faced building, the façade is laced with signature ASA gestures, juxtaposing plastered panels with use of glass to allow light to penetrate the interiors.
The Ground, mezzanine and first floor make up the tiles and the sanitary showroom whereas recently the 2nd and the 3rd are being used for the new UK based furniture franchise ‘Singways’, thus making Design Center a complete all under one roof solution for house and commercial interiors. The 4th floor is still vacant and provides ample spacing for future expansions. The new furniture showroom is disconnected from the main staircase and one takes the elevator to access the 2nd floor. This floor though has been connected via staircase to the 3rd which makes up the total area for their furniture display. In essence there are thus two distinct outlets, functionally, visually as well as in their architecture expression under one roof.
Sensitivity to the experience is shown right from the moment one enters the block with the entrance flanked by planters welcoming you inside. Sadly one mostly misses this entrance as most enter from the parking which lies in the basement. You know you are entering into an “architect thought out of a box” building’ where your approach and entry is not bang in the center. Even the structure is unconventional, with exposed beams running at 45 degrees interestingly demarking the voids. The site was much longer then its width thus circulation plays a crucial role in the success of the building which the architect has handled well and almost dictates our experience through the intricately designed circulation, channeling us from display to display with relief spaces of green as well as coffee stations and rest areas for comfort and brief meetings.
The materials compliment the interior well with easy to maintain and permanent finishes. The low height walls and partitions along with the exposed beams have been plastered grey whereas the ceilings have been left unfinished adding to the “warehouse” appeal. Though most of the materials are permanent one feels that does not hold true for the wooden planks used on the circulation space floor, with excessive use they require high maintenance even though it definitely adds to the richness of the interior. The monotony of the grey partitions is creatively broken by carved niches which are used for product display as well as decoration.
The interior palette is neutral and coexists well with the products, even though for designers and architects the building itself is as good if not better then the products on display. One thoroughly enjoys the plaster finish juxtaposed with the multi colour, multi faceted products, the wooden plank staircase with the metallic balustrade and connecting bridges acts as a datum to the building and the use of a single blue colour for accent coupled with the planters get highlighted in such a setting.
The lighting has played a major role in creating a successful ambience in the interior. It is used subtly in the relief spaces and circulation but focused in the displays. The showers and faucet section is designed in contrast to the very earthen interior otherwise. Here the architect has used the stainless steel finish of most of these products to stand out in a very industrial almost futuristic sort of display. The new Roca collection at S Abdulla draws on the latest creative trends from designs by leading international figures, Belen & Rafael Moneo, David Chipperfield, Ramon Benedito, Herzog and De Meuron who have lent their names to Roca and have come up with highly distinctive different concepts in creations designed for maximum personal well being.
Due to space constraints in their Karachi outlet the Lahore one also boasts many product lines which are exclusive to this particular outlet. It’s a very effective approach to business that the interior are to be designed as such that the client is as comfortable as possible and thus would /should purchase all that is required from a single stop. It suits the modern lifestyle where one wants quality and convenience.
The display of the new furniture line ‘Singways’ differs experientially from downstairs. Singways began its operation in 1989 and became one of the fastest growing modern furniture retailers with a presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Now that ‘Singways’ is available in the Design Center Lahore it has become an outlet of original, exclusive and modern furniture and accessories. Design Center of Lahore is the current lifestyle outlet with everything under one roof for the convenience of their clients. As the product franchise dictates on the setting and placement and even the colour and light schemes to be used. One just sees the 3d displays and the building interior completely taking a back seat to the product and negating the complimentary role it played successfully downstairs. With the passage of time this critique also seems applicable to the newer display setups for the exclusive sanitary ware product lines, as they also seem detached from the original concept.
Even though this fair-face building provides a welcome relief to the skyline of Lahore, one hoped to see that the architects being such supporters of indigenous materials would have designed the façade using the brick and used their design sensitivity to highlight that material in a new way which could have brought about a major positive change to Lahore’s architecture as they have made in Karachi. What has happened is that they have stuck to their strengths and delivered a building which could easily sit in Karachi just as successfully.
The architect job is never to just answer the functional question but to also create the best possible space experientially and spatially for the users. These are the kind of qualities which make any house into a home or any office space into a productive centre. Same rules apply for retail outlets and shopping warehouses. Choosing tiles and sanitary ware and even furniture for an interior is not an everyday job for the client and thus requires time and thought. The Architect here has successfully made a space which is user friendly providing an enjoyable experience of both the products as well as the architecture.
Photography & Images: Courtesy S Abdulla
In recent times we have seen in Pakistan an introduction to “all under one roof” solutions as far as retail and even household goods are concerned. So it comes as no surprise that an established name like S Abdulla and Co. offered such a solution for interiors.
S Abdulla and Co has been the leading name in Karachi for tiles and sanitary fittings for many a years. Clients from all over Pakistan flocked their outlet in the city of lights for most of their requirements. The company realizing this growing demand over the years from the north decided to expand in the heart of Pakistan, Lahore as Design Center, and chose architects Arshad Shahid Abdulla (ASA) to design the exterior and interior of the building.
The building Design Center is located in a then recently commercialized area and thus there was the allowance of having a building with around 50,000 sq.ft of usable space. The building exterior comes as a surprise in Lahore as one doesn’t expect to see a fair-faced building, the façade is laced with signature ASA gestures, juxtaposing plastered panels with use of glass to allow light to penetrate the interiors.
The Ground, mezzanine and first floor make up the tiles and the sanitary showroom whereas recently the 2nd and the 3rd are being used for the new UK based furniture franchise ‘Singways’, thus making Design Center a complete all under one roof solution for house and commercial interiors. The 4th floor is still vacant and provides ample spacing for future expansions. The new furniture showroom is disconnected from the main staircase and one takes the elevator to access the 2nd floor. This floor though has been connected via staircase to the 3rd which makes up the total area for their furniture display. In essence there are thus two distinct outlets, functionally, visually as well as in their architecture expression under one roof.
Sensitivity to the experience is shown right from the moment one enters the block with the entrance flanked by planters welcoming you inside. Sadly one mostly misses this entrance as most enter from the parking which lies in the basement. You know you are entering into an “architect thought out of a box” building’ where your approach and entry is not bang in the center. Even the structure is unconventional, with exposed beams running at 45 degrees interestingly demarking the voids. The site was much longer then its width thus circulation plays a crucial role in the success of the building which the architect has handled well and almost dictates our experience through the intricately designed circulation, channeling us from display to display with relief spaces of green as well as coffee stations and rest areas for comfort and brief meetings.
The materials compliment the interior well with easy to maintain and permanent finishes. The low height walls and partitions along with the exposed beams have been plastered grey whereas the ceilings have been left unfinished adding to the “warehouse” appeal. Though most of the materials are permanent one feels that does not hold true for the wooden planks used on the circulation space floor, with excessive use they require high maintenance even though it definitely adds to the richness of the interior. The monotony of the grey partitions is creatively broken by carved niches which are used for product display as well as decoration.
The interior palette is neutral and coexists well with the products, even though for designers and architects the building itself is as good if not better then the products on display. One thoroughly enjoys the plaster finish juxtaposed with the multi colour, multi faceted products, the wooden plank staircase with the metallic balustrade and connecting bridges acts as a datum to the building and the use of a single blue colour for accent coupled with the planters get highlighted in such a setting.
The lighting has played a major role in creating a successful ambience in the interior. It is used subtly in the relief spaces and circulation but focused in the displays. The showers and faucet section is designed in contrast to the very earthen interior otherwise. Here the architect has used the stainless steel finish of most of these products to stand out in a very industrial almost futuristic sort of display. The new Roca collection at S Abdulla draws on the latest creative trends from designs by leading international figures, Belen & Rafael Moneo, David Chipperfield, Ramon Benedito, Herzog and De Meuron who have lent their names to Roca and have come up with highly distinctive different concepts in creations designed for maximum personal well being.
Due to space constraints in their Karachi outlet the Lahore one also boasts many product lines which are exclusive to this particular outlet. It’s a very effective approach to business that the interior are to be designed as such that the client is as comfortable as possible and thus would /should purchase all that is required from a single stop. It suits the modern lifestyle where one wants quality and convenience.
The display of the new furniture line ‘Singways’ differs experientially from downstairs. Singways began its operation in 1989 and became one of the fastest growing modern furniture retailers with a presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Now that ‘Singways’ is available in the Design Center Lahore it has become an outlet of original, exclusive and modern furniture and accessories. Design Center of Lahore is the current lifestyle outlet with everything under one roof for the convenience of their clients. As the product franchise dictates on the setting and placement and even the colour and light schemes to be used. One just sees the 3d displays and the building interior completely taking a back seat to the product and negating the complimentary role it played successfully downstairs. With the passage of time this critique also seems applicable to the newer display setups for the exclusive sanitary ware product lines, as they also seem detached from the original concept.
Even though this fair-face building provides a welcome relief to the skyline of Lahore, one hoped to see that the architects being such supporters of indigenous materials would have designed the façade using the brick and used their design sensitivity to highlight that material in a new way which could have brought about a major positive change to Lahore’s architecture as they have made in Karachi. What has happened is that they have stuck to their strengths and delivered a building which could easily sit in Karachi just as successfully.
The architect job is never to just answer the functional question but to also create the best possible space experientially and spatially for the users. These are the kind of qualities which make any house into a home or any office space into a productive centre. Same rules apply for retail outlets and shopping warehouses. Choosing tiles and sanitary ware and even furniture for an interior is not an everyday job for the client and thus requires time and thought. The Architect here has successfully made a space which is user friendly providing an enjoyable experience of both the products as well as the architecture.
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