SP+A’s design for Indigo Deli at Palladium in Mumbai was conceptualized to subvert the trappings of its mall context and the danger of repetitive manifestation of the brand architecture. The primary aim Mumbai-based architects within the design process was to combine the intimacy and warmth of traditional wine cellars with the program of retail shelving and the juxtaposition of program was derived from this aim and spatial intent.

The outcome of this desire is an insert into the raw space completely obliterating its rigid geometries. The project is quasi-dome, or quasi-surface and rejects the formal structure of both models as a hybrid that actually networks the structural prowess of both.

However, the main idea was to monologue the design intervention as a performative background for the variance of the multitude of products and events it contains.

The design parametric tools were used in the construction process, documentation and routing and assemblage. The assemblage is further hung off the RCC slab with regularly spaced threaded mild steel rods fixed onto a double thick vertical plywood panel that allows for leveling the entire armature through the length of the space. An undulating and interlocking structure therefore swoops above the tables within the dining area. As it combines the geometry of a dome and surface, the hybrid form employs the structural strengths of both applications. The wooden armature is formed with rough textured plywood, contrasting the sleek copper lighting fixtures and fine details.