This project is the renovation of a retail unit for Artman Kids in a commercial complex. The purposes of the design is accomplished by providing special requirements for a well-known Zanjan brand of shoe for kids. Design and construction of this project took 3 months in the summer of 2015.

previous state

The 30 square meter small shop was served as a catering unit before the interventions. It had a considerable height and there was a mezzanine floor that was connected to the ground floor through a spiral metal stairs. The whole area was generating a single space unit in which lack of services and storage areas were absolutely comprehensible. These deficiencies had obliged the former users to exploit every single bit of space from every cramped corner in which dispite creating a single whole it was not coherent, systematically.

There were also some associating potentials that had to be taken into consideration. The lofty roof near the entrance could be used for some installation and short height of the part behind, was appropriate to be designed in the scale for children. This difference in height let us create a diverse while single space. The building is located in a safe residential area in Zanjan in which the other stores such as clothes shops appropriate for childeren is also situated in the area as well.

Design idea and development

The design of Artman kids store is centered around the idea of using space as a game. In the primary stages of design we analyzed client’s opinion about the future of Artman kids. Then we designed alternatives from various points of view. We considered psychology of children in development stages and studied children’s behaviors in the spaces. After several sessions of team discussion and overviewing with the client, the idea of creating a mechanism for childeren in the space to play with was confirmed. To avoid probable inconvenience caused by the mechanism for customers, it should have been designed as simple as possible so it could have worked quickly in order not to delay the process of browsing and purchasing.

One of the simplest and most efficient stimuli to attract children is to create a sound! Children respond to sounds even before they are born. Discovering the cause and effect in the creation of sound is a part of their development of recognition of the world around. Back in Artman Kids, the creation of a pleasant sound through a mechanism actuated by natural actions in a shopping process formed the main idea of this design.

Bamboo is a natural material, which can create a cozy and warm space for children, in addition to its ability to create a melodious sound. Linear elements of bamboo with different lengths have shaped a waved form in the center of the room which gives the space a special visual character in contrast with its white plain walls. When a child reaches out a shoe and pulls it to take a look, this tension creates a smooth wave in the bamboo installation and makes a sound. Each shoe is connected to a different point in the bamboo, and therefore creates a different waves and makes a different sound.

Direction of the tension force of hanged shoes to the center, naturally formed a triangle frame on top of a rectangle one which perfectly resembles the houses in children’s drawings. This frame, in addition to shape the space of the store, lets for many possibilities including a modulation, used in the design; a facility to showcase goods in; and a structure for the two swings on which children put on their new shoes. the triangular shape of the top of the frame also coincides on diagonal lines of the stairs at the end of the room to create Artman logo from the viewpoint of people on the street.

Intervention level and other details

In the new design the mezzanine is separated from the main space by a solid wall and is allocated to storage. To create a coherent space, all the angles and distortions are modified to form a simple cubic space. This also let for various different small spaces to show and store goods, conduct mechanical and electrical lines, and for services.