We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Alexandros Kitriniaris about their original and creative Pharmacy design work. Alexandros Kitriniaris is an award-winning architectural designer, that makes our world a better place with their original pharmacy works.
Alexandros Kitriniaris ("AK") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Cure & Care Pharmacy. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AK : Our primary intention, together with architect, Verina Myroforidou, was to create a changing scene, in which each element is contextualised, while directing the eye and the visitor's movement along the product display of the pharmacy store. The idea was to develop the space in a linear flow while creating a perceptual boundary between the private and public spaces. So the laboratory, the storeroom, and the washrooms in the back are a continuation of the main space of the pharmacy shopping area. The inspiration of the pharmacy derives from raw natural materials and especially the custom shelving wood display system is connected to the natural landscape and the forested area of Kryoneri.
AK : The originality of the design reflects a solid question: How can the visitor take in the whole product display within a few seconds? The vertical wooden elements of the custom shelving display follow a parametric variable curve formed by designing a curved visual field for the visitor that relates to the product display as it unfolds. Therefore, the specific method of contextualising the elements targets the whole perception of the visitor, who can rapidly see all the products on display.
AK : This specific award gives us a boost to carry on in the same creative vein, giving each project a unique treatment.
AK : The architectural design started in May 2015 in Athens and finished in September 2015 in Athens. The construction started in September 2015 and finished in November 2015.
AK : Our firm was commissioned to produce this specific project. Our clients asked us to reverse the rational of product display and to propose a more unified approach that doesn’t fully separate the private workspace of a pharmacy from the public shop floor.
AK : The gradual transition, or notional, predetermined path is transformed into a variable spatial experience, on the one hand composing the vertical level of the outer facade as a boundary between the public and the common space, and on the other, the vertical level of the scene as a boundary between the common space and the private areas of the pharmacy. Lastly, the extensive transparency of the fourteen-meter facade functions as a display for the interior of the pharmacy towards the exterior public surrounding area.
AK : The name of the Pharmacy was produced by the creative agency, S&Team, which stated that their client needed a name that spoke to both types of clients, those buying medications and those buying cosmetic products. The final name Cure & Care did exactly that. It was a playful and elegant way to pair health and beauty. Moreover, the branding agency makes clear that the sound of the name has a nice balance, because it basically is a repetition of the same consonants with different vowel sounds.
AK : The unique aspect of our design is to create a functionally unified space, that does not interrupt the overall spatial continuity between the outer, public space of the shopping area and the private workspace of the pharmacists. The design principles have resulted in benefits to the customers. More specifically, the pharmacy clientele has increased, as have the sales of the full product range through the originality of the changing scene design. The time spent in the shop space by customers has also increased, thanks to the immediate functional and visual continuity of the space.
AK : The twenty-four unique elements of the custom shelving display system are made of plywood veneer sheets and fabricated with a 3-axis Computer Numerical Control router.
AK : Τhe successful incorporation of the interior finishes and furnishings mainly aims to satisfy the particular functional needs of the pharmacists. More specifically, the pharmacy floor is covered with waterproof resinous cement to avoid erosion by tinctures and acids, while special layouts for placing medicine drawers that can be reached from the till have also been designed. Likewise, in the laboratory, stainless steel sinks and refrigerators for medicines and vaccines have been used, specific places have been designed to place equipment such as high-accuracy scales, volumetric tubes, magnetic heated baths as well as conical, heat-resistant vials.
