THE VEIL 1st Place
PROF.: AGNES GIANONNE
TASK
Creating a new shop concept and design for THE BODY SHOP.
PERSONAL GOAL
Experimenting with the interaction and interplay between machines, humans, and space.
RESULT
A shop that constantly changes its form and character, redefining the interaction between humans and technology.
THE VEIL was created as a collaboration between Hochschule Bochum and THE BODY SHOP GERMANY / AUSTRIA. The project aimed to explore potential redesigns of the interior spaces in stores, find new ways to engage customers with THE BODY SHOP, and develop an overall new concept for the company.
The project started with an assessment at a THE BODY SHOP store in Essen, Germany, and was further developed based on the store located in the Mercador Center in Hamburg.
THE VEIL breaks away from the traditional characteristics and principles of a store, bringing tomorrow's technology directly to the customers. The project aims to operate within the interplay between nature and technology, clarity and concealment. How can a balance be achieved between nature and technology? How can the space itself be understood differently and viewed independently from the existing conditions? How can the space be shaped by machines and through the interactions of humans and machines? These were some of the questions that arose throughout the project.
The result is a project that dissolves and obscures the space in which it takes place, with a "table" that continually reorganizes and adapts itself, exhibiting almost natural behavior through its programmed actions.
CURRENT SITUATION
The current shop in the Mercador Center in Hamburg is primarily characterized by a disorganized layout and a traditional use of space typical for a small shop in a mall.
ROOM CONCEPT
Dissociation of the connection between the physical space and the perceived space.
INTERACTION CONCEPT
Development of an adaptive object that adjusts itself according to current needs, situations, and its own "natural" behavior, thus shaping the space itself.
IMPLEMENTATION
Employing curtains on ceilings and walls, complemented by reflective metal flooring, to obscure the space and detach the perceived environment from the physical surroundings, while simultaneously developing a 'table' that dynamically alters its shape in response to customer interaction, programmed behavior, and needs. This innovation is facilitated by small square robots, which also serve as storage units for individual products.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROOM
CONSTRUCTION OF THE 'TABLE'
Utilizing small 5 x 5 x 5 cm robots (developed at MIT), the table is capable of transforming into any desired shape. This concept draws an analogy to pixels on a computer screen, but in three-dimensional space.
The robots' movement is achieved by tilting on the 12 outer sides of the cube.
Most of the robots carry a product within them that can be delivered to the customer through the overarching program. Some robots are empty and can be used as cups. Additionally, they can collectively form various conduits, such as a water pipe for a sink.
Due to the modular design, the table can spontaneously adapt to various scenarios and visitor numbers.
The robots are stored in a cavity in the floor, enabling the complete clearing of the area within a few seconds.
MOVEMENT
ROBOT CONSTRUCTION
ASSEMBLY ANIMATION
BEHAVIOR AND FORMCHANGE OF THE 'TABLE'
The behavior of the 'table' is influenced by various factors. It can adapt to the desires and requirements of customers, for instance, by transforming into a single furniture piece. Moreover, it can dynamically and autonomously reshape based on a programmed 'natural' behavior, which simulates the behavior observed in animals and plants.
RESULT
At the culmination of the project stands a design that boldly peers into the future, introducing state-of-the-art technology into the realm of retail. This unfolds within a space that seems to transcend physical confines, constantly reshaping and redefining itself through the dynamic capabilities of the "table".
The "natural" behavior exhibited by the "table" mirrors the rhythms of nature, echoing THE BODY SHOP's ethos. While THE BODY SHOP strives to foster a connection to nature with minimal reliance on technology, THE VEIL harnesses sophisticated technology to emulate natural elements. The symbolic imagery evokes the harmonious balance of Yin and Yang.
This project as part of the collaborative endeavor between HS BOCHUM and THE BODY SHOP DE/AU clinched the top prize in an internal university competition, symbolizing a fusion of innovative design and environmental consciousness.
RESEARCH & DESIGN PROCESS
The project began with an examination of the current situation and the prevailing design principles of The Body Shop stores worldwide. This involved intensive discussions with the lead architect, the managing director for Germany and Austria, and the head PR manager. During these conversations, the unsatisfactory condition of the shops became evident, characterized by being too crowded, too disorganized, and generally lacking a relationship between the average shop size and the requirements placed on the shop.
The development outlines a transformative journey in the design process of a store in Hamburg, showcasing the transition from traditional retail design to an innovative, experience-oriented space. This evolution in design thinking starts with conventional methods, where furniture like shelves and built-in walls are used to organize the store. However, as the project progresses, it becomes clear that deviating from these traditional principles offers a more compelling solution.
The design overcomes the physical limitations of the store by separating the experienced space from the physical space. This separation is achieved through the use of backlit curtains, which blur the boundaries of the space and create the perception of a larger, more ambiguous area. This concept draws a parallel to the interior of a tent in a forest, where the inside space is clear and confined, while the actual, expansive environment remains invisible and imagined.
The decisive moment in the development is the decision to separate the experienced space from the physical space and to use this separation as an opportunity to explore the interaction between people, machines, and space. This exploration culminates in the introduction of a central object within the store, which becomes the focal point of interaction. This object is not just a piece of technology but a dynamic element that shapes and defines the space, requiring and fostering interaction from visitors. This interaction is not one-sided; the object is designed to respond to both the people and the space around it, creating a symbiotic relationship between the three elements.
The development proceeds through a deep dive into iterations, approaches, and ideas to refine the design, functionality, and interactions within the store. This process highlights a thorough exploration of the potential of human-machine-space interaction and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the context of retail design. The project becomes a platform for experiments on how technology can transform a physical space into an interactive, immersive experience, challenging conventional notions of retail space design and setting new standards for future projects.
Now that the focus was on designing the central object, an examination of the functions this object must fulfill was conducted, given that the rest of the space is intended to be empty. Thus, the object needs to provide space for storing products, facilitate conversations and consultations, offer areas for product trials, and accommodate the sale of these products.
Due to the diverse range of capabilities the object must possess, it also needs to be flexible and adaptable.
Initial considerations were inspired by RBMK reactors, like those installed in Chernobyl. These reactors control different fuel rods individually, which suggests that if this fuel rod control technology were incorporated into an object like a table, the different units could be individually controlled. This would allow the object to be flexibly adjusted according to need.
Although this approach started off promisingly, various issues arose that limited the flexibility of the object, resulting in only two sides being movable. This made the object resemble a traditional table more closely and did not fully exploit the potential of the approach.
Through prior research and my interest in robotics, I had already discovered a few years ago a robotics system called M-BLOCKS, which was developed at MIT. This system comprises self-assembling modular robots.
I adopted the basic mechanics of the system and implemented it with some adjustments into my concept.
As a result, the object could now be configured as a traditional table or in any other conceivable form.
After determining the space and the system for the object, the next step was to develop the logic of the system, that is, how the system should behave in different situations. Various factors had to be considered, such as the interaction between customers and the object, whether such a shop has traditional salespeople, what the object does when no one is in the shop, how it behaves when someone is in the shop, how it reacts when many people are in the shop, what it does when it is not in use, etc.
To answer these questions, a behavioral logic for the object was conceived, which oscillates between an active and a passive state, that is, the behavior during use and the state when the object is not being used.
In its active state, the object is designed to fulfill precisely what the customer or salesperson needs at that moment, whether it be seating options for conversation, a table, a washbasin, multiple tables, etc.
In the passive state, when the object is not actively being used, it should be controlled by artificial intelligence that naturally responds to factors such as the number of visitors, time of day, noise levels, etc., adapting and behaving like an animal. Through this fusion of technology and nature, a certain harmony is created between the principles of THE BODY SHOP and the project. While THE BODY SHOP aims to bring nature closer to the customer with a minimal use of technology, this project is heavily reliant on technology to simulate something natural or nature-like.