Rana Motors Pvt. Ltd.
Delhi
Overview
Rana Motors, Tis Hazari, was one of the first of its kind car showroom where under spaces of Metro station and surrounds were used. It came up at that time when the metro stations started opening up their spaces for retail use but nobody had the idea of how to rejuvenate a metro station and put up a retail space beneath it. It utilizes the urban level transportation system infrastructure to have a retail outlet beneath it.
Concept
This was a challenge from two standpoints. One was the fact to understand how the existing structure can be used to convert this to a showroom space that is specially with a car which was the second challenge as car has a certain turning radius, space requirement, etc. The car being a larger product called for a different kind of space dynamics.
Design
The key concept of design was to have layers of spaces to give the feel of openness. The front portion being a double height open atrium was strategically placed where the column were few making the movement easier. This helped in displaying the cars which gave the desired mileage to the showroom. The display area was designed in such a way that it had an easy view from outside. The rear side where the columns were dense as the metro lines were running above was converted to ground and mezzanine serving as a service floor. The floors were separated to ease out the different functions need to be carried out addressing the daily requirements avoiding the confusion. The customer area was on the ground level with the operational area was made on the first floor. The customer area was purposely made on the ground floor keeping in mind the needs of the senior citizens and also to facilitate smooth entry and exit.
The showroom was opened towards the side which was populated with fewer columns. The same was converted as an outdoor display and accessory area used to prepare the cars before rolling out. This space acted as an extension to handle the crowd in case of high footfall.
Overall this project was of a new kind and came as a trendsetter for not only car showrooms but also for other retail spaces happening below the metro stations in Delhi.
Key features
Under space of the metro station being utilized for retail outlets.
Handling the population of columns and thereby designing the office to give a no congested look
Giving the showroom a layered look so that no hindrance occurs in the operation and movement of cars
Makes Impossible outcomes possible.