Gamlaa

Gamlaa is a brand that was established in 2013. It focuses on biophilia and works at the intersection of nature, materiality, and spatial design. The brand follows a systematic approach that mainly revolves around meaningfully integrating plants and greenery into built environments as elements that are planned into design and not just considered as decorative additions.

The brief provided by Gamlaa to D’Art clearly communicated the brand’s expectations. They wanted their exhibition booth at FOAID (Festival of Architecture and Interior Design) to be designed as a space that clearly demonstrates how people can thoughtfully integrate greenery/biophilia into a design from the initial stage of planning. The brand was actually looking forward to an open, nature driven space that communicated its philosophy.

Challenges Faced!

There were various technical and spatial constraints that interrupted the design and execution of the exhibition space. Here are a few main ones:

• The booth space was very limited. Hence, it required strategic layout planning that allowed integration of all the desired elements and facilitated easy navigation.
• A short installation timeline (this is usually common in the case of exhibitions).
• The ceiling space had to be utilized. However, it could not support a heavy load due to which only a limited number of elements could be installed overhead.
• Coordinating greenery with lighting and electrical systems.
• The space had to be designed and executed in an open and welcoming manner that ensured maximum brand visibility.

Solutions Provided

The finalized design was shaped by Gamlaa’s vision and the theme “The Green Lab”. Following this approach helped us transform the exhibition space into a living environment that supported exploration and interaction. Here are a few things that the key design strategies focused on:

• Instead of treating them as decorative add ons, we integrated biophilic elements into the exhibition's core structure.
• We systematically defined different zones and maintained a visual clarity within the space by utilizing wall segmentation and vertical greenery.
• Integration of lightweight suspended green elements helped us activate the ceiling in an immersive manner.
• Creation of dedicated zones allowed seamless interaction, material exploration, and discussion.

Results Obtained

The entire booth reflected a clear spatial narrative that completely aligned with Gamlaa’s philosophy of planned biophilia. Regardless of limitations/challenges related to time, space, and structure, the executed design successfully presented how greenery can be integrated into an exhibition environment in a meaningful manner. The executed space allowed visitors to interact, explore, and discuss while maintaining the clarity of movement and purpose, further resulting in an immersive as well as functional experience for the visitors.