Robinson Lifestyle Chachoengsao | Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat TAKE A LOOK AT ORIENTAL STUDIO’S DESIGN OF ROBINSON LIFESTYLE STORES, EACH OF WHICH SHARE A COMMON DESIGN LANGUAGE, SUCH AS THE USAGE OF COLOUR OR FLOOR PLAN CONFIGURATION, WHILE RETAINING ITS OWN DISTINCT PERSONALITY
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO CREDIT AS NOTED
(For Thai, press here)
Central Group’s Robinson Lifestyle is a mid-tier department store brand. The brand targets customers in mid-sized cities such as Chonburi, Petchaburi, and Sakonnakhon, as well as notable districts like Maesot in the province of Tak. Each Robinson Lifestyle department store, with an average size between 30,000 and 70,000 square meters, portrays itself as a community hub and landmark, catering to the different demands of its clients by presenting itself as an all-in-one destination for ‘dining, shopping, and experiencing.’
Robinson Lifestyle Chachoengsao is the refurbishment of the existing Robinson department store in order to accommodate future expansion. With Chachoengsao being a province with continuous potential growth and its proximity to Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and industrial estates, as well as the imminent arrival of infrastructure such as the high-speed train project, the renovation stretches the retail space by up to 30 percent, from 40,000 to 50,000 square meters, and includes a new parking structure that can accommodate more than 1,000 vehicles
Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat
Chachoengsao’s nickname, ‘Pad Rew,’ or ‘eight strips,’ alludes to the province’s link to water and land that is so fertile that the fish end up becoming so large that it can be sliced into eight distinct pieces. The design concept “Odyssey” was developed by Oriental Studio in order to incorporate the province’s identity into the department store’s aesthetics. The design incorporates elements of boats and water, to the project, from the structural framework which is reminiscent of a sailboat’s main sail, the interior decoration elements resembles those of a sailing boat to the lamps in the shape of swimming fish, and the characteristics of Chachoengsao’s 100-Year Market depicted in the design of the food court.
One of the fundamentals of retail space design is circulation flow, which distributes customers between different stores and areas of the establishment efficiently and effectively. With this project, Oriental Studio makes sure that there are no dead ends or closed corners in the interior program. The atrium is intended to connect all floors, allowing a flow of perspective and circulation between floors. Additional entrances are added to the spatial program to connect the new parking building to the main circulation, ensuring that the entire flow remains continuous. To accommodate future alterations, the design of the building’s double skin has one layer operating as the wall and the other as a façade. Realized in the shape of a boat’s main sail, the façade has a separate structure from the building.
Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat
Therefore, future modifications can be made by removing the exterior layer without disturbing the internal retail space. There are other sections which are built to be adaptable to change, such as the rest area, whose interior components may be disassembled in order to convert the area into a retail space if desired
In addition to Robinson Lifestyle Chachoengsao, Oriental Studio has been tasked with designing other Robinson Lifestyle branches, with each project sharing a common design language, such as the usage of green hue or the horizontally expansive floor plan, while retaining its own distinct personality
Photo: Rungkit Charoenwat
Robinson Lifestyle Phetchaburi
Toddy palm, a native plant that has been an integral part of Petchaburi residents’ way of life, serves as the inspiration for the metal strips on the building’s front, which aim to replicate the leaves of the indigenous tree
Robinson Lifestyle Sakon Nakhon
The façade’s weightless contours and ornamental accents are reminiscent of the province’s renowned ‘Kram’ textile, which is created using a traditional indigo-dyeing technique
Robinson Lifestyle Chonburi
Since the project located in one of the country’s most renowned seaside towns and popular tourist destinations, the physical characteristics of waves are used as the primary design element of the project’s façade
Robinson Lifestyle Chaiyaphum
Pa Hin Ngam National Park is one of Chaiyaphum province’s most popular tourist destinations. The design symbolizes the province’s natural site with the stratified decorations and the use of earth-tone colors, offering a distinctive character for the design
Robinson Lifestyle Kamphangphet
With a limited budget, the design reflects the brand’s identity through the use of lines and silhouettes inspired by the wings of a Robin Bird for the building’s façade
Robinson Lifestyle Srisamarn
The distinctive characteristic and local craftmanship of the perforated pattern of Ko Kret Island ceramics from Nonthaburi region are incorporated into the façade in the form of a perforated aluminum composite consisting of triangular shapes of varying sizes, arranged in a calculated configuration
Robinson Lifestyle Measot
The Maesot District of Tak province is recognized as one of Thailand’s most significant gemstone hubs. The design of the façade is inspired by the physical qualities of gemstone facets in order to portray the characteristics for which the border town is known