title: Diorama
location: Ontario, Canada
use: Pharmacy
size: 110 sm
completed: 2016
The new interior of a pharmacy with a throughway type flow is located in a typical North American suburban development. By taking cues from the suburban scape, the interior design integrates a combination of natural and artificial landscapes. Conceptualized using correlating materials, colours, and forms similar to a diorama model. The interior depicts a scene of three-dimensional figures (cityscapes) with tones of green. The imagery is created by the unique fixtures and shelving constructed within the space.
Working with a modest budget, shelving is crafted from laminate – type material which is durable and cost-effective while offering a palette of varying colours and textures. The shelves function to display products and act as dividers separating the front of the house and back operations of the pharmacy. Each unit shelving is shaped like a box carved in various ways and finished in bright reflective surfaces allowing them to blur between the areas of operations while providing privacy subtly. The layout further animates the space and creates varying moments of interaction with customers.
With the expression and use of material, there are overlays between what is artificial and real. Concrete walls are left raw with a hint of graduation. Mock plants supply greenery in the space. Real marble plinths are playfully arranged as seating or for display areas. The design changes the mundane into a functional yet surreal landscape that mimics the naturalness of its context.