ABIBOO Architecture, international architecture office led by Alfredo Munoz, has been developing for months the Thandalam Project, a residential complex near Chennai, southern India, consisting of about 700 homes and studios, the latter of them intended for students of a nearby university.

Thandalam Project, render courtesy ABIBOO Architecture

The project will also consist of a series of facilities to give service to the residences, as well as vast green areas which will join an urban park also planned by Abiboo Architecture in the same parcel, as Indian law requires.

The project combines a number of independent blocks, articulated in two areas defined by the presence of an existing power line tower on the site, which becomes the structuring element of a large linear eco-park with innovative elements of alternative energy, and that turns out to be protagonist of the project.

Thandalam Project, render courtesy ABIBOO Architecture

The residences are arranged in separate blocks but interconnected by towers that narrow, elongate, break and change their configuration, creating spaces of social interaction with different character that in turn maintain their relationships with the numerous green spaces provided in order to create a healthy living environment.

These independent blocks are pieces that break and fragment, playing with the lights and shadows and adapting the homes to the harsh local climatic conditions, and offering as well a glimpse of the complex inner world of the corridors where color has a notorious presence.

Thandalam Project, render courtesy ABIBOO Architecture

ABIBOO Architecture, conducts with this project a research on domestic space in India through a deep analysis of its culture and its complex philosophies, applied to define their homes (criteria marked by the Vastu standards, philosophy similar to Feng Shui).

The projected residences after this analytical exercise, added to previous research on contemporary housing as well as to the long experience in building in the Western world and to the international experience accumulated by the studio, are the design tools that mainly respond to the needs of its future inhabitants.

ABIBOO Architecture offers an innovative architectural design, which has always been present in its international architecture. It ranges from interior design and furniture, to architectural design of many kinds, to the Urban and Landscape Design.

The intervention in the Santini Stores, emerges from the joint interest from the owners of the brand to become the evolution with the brand’s marketing, opening their own stores and from SHINE to generate a brand new design image, making a clear statement about the brand.

Santini Shoox, image courtesy SHINE Architecture

Two words, stylish and fashion, this implicate the development of a daring architectural product without reaching excess.

The development of design started with the main wooden-storefront, which was experimented with paper strips, that in a figurative way evokes the S from the brand. The soft shapes and the gray color predominates into the space with the main intention of offering the user a light and cozy space.

Santini Shoox, image courtesy SHINE Architecture

About this, the selection of materials comes, the warm ones, that let us take the fluency and style, and the stones and glass giving spatial balance.

Santini Shoox, image courtesy SHINE Architecture

All the stores have a spatial duality, the wooden combination with light tones, and the dark tones with stony floors, this because the dichotomy between woman’s and men’s sections.

Santini Shoox, image courtesy SHINE Architecture

The design over the stores goes from the small scale to the detail, everything belongs to design. Every furniture are designed store to store, there’s nothing repeated to each other. The level of detail decreases, even the pieces that support the glass, were designed and manufactured by the company involved in aluminum and structures specially for each of the stores.

Another important aspect is the light management, in objectives so specific, the lighting is such a very important matter. There’s a spatial quality based on the tone and the amount of lighting.

Talking about one of SHINE’s premises, the sustainability, inside spaces already built and restricted, we tried to take as far as we can on every store, the efficiency and the saving in every aspect. the stores are designed inside a low scheme of circle of life stablished, during this, the furniture and shelves are removable and adjustable into a different conditions. the 80% of the materials are reusable.

The wood used is selected for it’s color, properties like origin, this wood is national alamo. The lighting is based on leds and power saving systems. all the flooring in this case natural stone and in other stores densified concrete with a certified process environmentally friendly.

+ Project facts

Project: SANTINI Plaza Mayor
Developers: SHINE Architecture + Miguel Maestro
Architectural Design: Minche Mena, Miguel Maestro
Lighting: Jesús López
Drywall works: Guillermo Abundes
Carpentry: Rogelio Barajas
Photography Credits: Antonio Mendez, SHINE Architecture
Typology: Commercial – Display design
Year: 2010

+ More display design projects on +MOOD

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Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Kokaistudios, a Shanghai based international architectural design firm, proudly announces its Miele House project located in downtown Shanghai wins 2011 MIPIM Asia Award Gold Prize in Retail Store Design Category. Competing with 80 entries from 15 countries, Miele House has been selected by the jury group, made up by the top real estate players in Asia-Pacific, for the prestigious prize. The MIPIM Asia Awards, now running for 6 years, honors the most innovative and outstanding real estate projects in the Asia Pacific region.

Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Kokaistudios partnered with Miele, the world luxury home appliances brand, to renovate and modernize the historical city mansion that is built in thirties, while presenting the brand value of highest quality, highest performance and highest environmental standards in the industry with engineered aesthetics, innovation and rich heritage. Miele House Shanghai is the first exclusive Miele showroom in Mainland China and also the first Miele House among the Miele world, the space is designed not only as a showcase of its products but also an area to express the company philosophy and make people experience its core values.

Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

This is the second straight year that Kokaistudios has been awarded for its work at MIPIM having received the prize last year for the "Wai Tan Yuan" project which received Best Chinese Project and Best Mixed-Use Building in 2010. These awards are a strong proof of the positive response of the market to Kokaistudios' work. The international team at Kokaistudios, with over 10 years experience in Asia region, is committed to continuously apply its forward design vision to any scale of projects with high quality and to provide a total design package of services for worldwide clients' satisfaction and success.

Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Miele House, image courtesy Kokaistudios

+ About Kokaistudios

Kokaistudios is an award winning multi-disciplinary design firm founded in 2000 in Venice by Italian architects Filippo Gabbiani & Andrea Destefanis. Founded with the dream to create a collaborative office of young and talented architects devoted to researching and formulating the design solutions to the demands of tomorrow and capable of working on a worldwide basis;the firm has grown after 10 years into a team of 30 people headquartered in Shanghai, China.

With our focus of offering total design solutions, Kokaistudios has completed over 140 projects spanning the range of architecture, heritage renovation, and interior design. The firm has received numerous awards including the Asia Pacific Region of 2011 International Property Awards, Commercial Space in IAI Award 2010, MIPIM Asia Award 2010 and 2011, "40 under 40 Award" from Perspective Magazine. In addition to these awards Kokaistudios has also received 2 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Bund 18 and HuaiHai Lu 796 projects in Shanghai where Kokaistudiosis responsible for the entire architectural and interior design projects. .

Our goal remains firmly on a worldwide basis challenging, interesting and innovative projects, and to offering our clients creative solutions and the highest levels of service.

+ About Chief Architect

Filippo Gabbiani, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Filippo Gabbiani, Arkitekter MAA
Founder and Chief Architect, Kokaistudios
Master Degree in Architecture at Architecture University Institute of Venice IUAV, Venice, Italy

Born in Venice, Italy, from a famous family of artists and glass makers, Filippo Gabbiani developed very early a multidisciplinary interest for art and design. Starting to cooperate with his family in designing and producing artistic glass he completed his studies at University of Architecture of Venice where he graduated with an innovative research sponsored by European Community on usage of alternative energies in architecture. Following his instinctive curiosity for different disciplinary and other cultures he worked in several countries in Europe and in U.S.A. cooperating with prestigious firms of architecture, interior and industrial design before meeting Andrea Destefanis with who founded Kokaistudios in 2000. From the establishment of the firm in Shanghai he move permanently to live in Asia where together with the mission of Kokaistudios he continue its personal research in artistic glass design and the cultural promotion of sustainable architecture and protection and preservation of heritage of Asia.

Andrea Destefanis
Founder and Chief Architect, Kokaistudios
Master Degree in Architecture at Architecture University Institute of Venice IUAV, Venice, Italy

Andrea Destefanis, image courtesy Kokaistudios

Born in Turin, Italy from a family of theater artists, Andrea Destefanis developed very early a strong interest for visual arts and scenography. Growing up in a refined cultural environment he moved to live in Venice where completing his education at University of Architecture of Venice he started to cooperate with several architectural firms and developed award winning projects in architecture and city planning. Moved by his personal interest in different fields of design he founded a cooperative studio focused on research of innovative instrument of design in computer graphics. In 2000 he met with Filippo Gabbiani with whom he shares the same architectural vision and interest in heritage renovation and environmental design, and they started a deep cooperation with resulted in the founding of Kokaistudios. Since the establishment of Kokaistudios in 2002 in Shanghai, Andrea has resided full time in Shanghai where he jointly oversees Kokaistudios and focuses also on researching and promoting sustainable instruments of development for social and urban environment.