Ather Space, located in Chennai, has been designed for Ather Energy; the project embodies the brand ethos of innovation and dynamism to create a prime feature space for Ather 450, their marquee product. 

Tying together an immersive narrative for the electric automobile with enhanced customer engagement, the design strategy for Ather Space divides the expansive floor plate into distinct zones – enabling an enriching brand interaction that prioritizes visitor engagement and familiarization with the product over pure sales. Each zone has been designed to facilitate an intimate interface between the visitor and the brand, whether through gallery spaces for the technology behind the product, discussion zones for prospective customers, or initiation areas for first-time users.  

Reflecting Ather’s design-intensive approach to electric automobiles, the design centres the primary spatial narrative around Ather machinery components and chassis models hosted on workshop-style tables and monolithic podiums. A secondary layer of environmental graphics and digital display systems brings this narrative to life, offering crucial information about the product and its usage. On the periphery of this central space are the meetings areas, smaller zones designed to host product FAQs and pre-sales discussions with prospective customers. Prefacing this experience is the entrance vestibule, which features two Ather 450 models standing in the stark space as sculptural inserts; membrane lighting suspended over these models highlight their prominence as the core element of the Ather experience. Beyond these zones, towards the back-of-house, are the delivery pockets; the vehicles are hence wheeled out from behind the Ather Space, leaving the visitor engagement area uninterrupted. 

Ather Space is characterized by seamless tectonics, a muted palette, sharp lines and a clutter-free aesthetic derived from the brand identity. The spatial layout has been designed to ensure a streamlined user flow from the entrance vestibule to the delivery pockets; housed within a minimal grey shell, the zonal divisions are asserted through free-standing partitions and fins, which introduce a degree of visual permeability in the space without taking away the intimacy of scale. The fins between the vestibule and the central display area – called the Ather Ecosystem – provide glimpses of the space beyond and create a sense of anticipation for the user. The design vocabulary extends beyond the Ecosystem in the form of vertical louvers articulating the glazing along the store periphery; niches created between these louvers double as shelves for books, framed photographs, and assorted accoutrements pertaining to the brand history, bolstering the brand narrative and reinforcing the inward orientation of the space by screening views to the outside. 

Placed against a backdrop of veneer fins, timber furniture and plush seating populate the discussion areas, in subtle contrast to the monochromatic studio-like environment of the Ecosystem. A black metal framework suspended over the Ecosystem supports the lighting system, consisting of spotlights and pendant luminaries to highlight the display areas below; the lighting framework caps the Ecosystem experience as a cohesive whole; the peripheral discussion spaces, on the other hand, are lit with diffused natural light through the peripheral glazing and tinted lamps, creating a warmer spatial experience. While the main Ecosystem is dedicated to illustrating the technical competence of the product and the viability of the technology, smaller interventions such as planter screens near the entrance and quirky environmental graphics in the bathrooms help make the brand more inclusive and connected to the community.