BUY-HUB
SHOPPING IN THE CAPSULES
How has the pandemic affected your design?
With the pandemic, people's lifestyles began to change. Street restrictions have distanced people from the physical shopping experience. Social distance and hygiene are our priorities to protect from the pandemic and we need to be very careful when shopping. With the pandemic, more attention has been paid to many points such as test cabins, touch experiences, product hygiene in cosmetics. The ever-increasing demand for online shopping has revealed that it is necessary to make changes in shopping habits and experiences. It is also a fact that green and nature should be more integrated into the shopping experience. The retail experiences of tomorrow should be very different from today. In particular, the continuous development of technology causes new perspectives to emerge.
How does BUY-HUB reflect the identity of Ankara?
Askabat Street in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, has been the center of socialization and shopping since the 1990s. The main reason for choosing this street is to integrate a brand new shopping experience into a street that has taken its place in the city's memory. A building located on Askabat Street was chosen, the curtain wall of the existing building has been reinterpreted, creating the grids on which the capsules will be attached.
What was the concept behind the BUY-HUB?
The 'Buy-Hub' is beyond a conventional shopping experience; turns technology into an architectural object. This 'hub' of capsules creates a brand new shopping experience. Each capsule is actually a technological machine, and while these capsules provide a brand new shopping experience in the city, they also aim to integrate green into the street. The pandemic has reminded people how essential green, nature, and open-air are. The 'Buy-Hub' creates both an ultra-technological shopping center and an urban green space. Capsules are technological tools that offer us the shopping experience. Askabat street was detached from the green as it was an area where buildings were dense. The green area on the ground floor of the building is integrated with the street and provides the people who experience the street with the opportunity to be in touch with nature.
Why were technological capsules recommended instead of a conventional store?
Especially with the pandemic, a lot of importance was given to hygiene, social distance, and nature. Technology, on the other hand, is in incredible development and now anyone can handle everything from a tablet or phone. BUY-HUB offers a brand new shopping concept where everything happens very quickly instead of the usual shopping habit by integrating nature along with high technology. It takes almost minutes for the customer to come to the 'hub', select the product from the capsule they want, pay, and buy. This shopping, which takes place away from the crowd and without waiting in line, provides a brand new understanding.
How does the BUY-HUB work with technology?
The capsules on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors have different functions and these function differences can be seen with the colors from the front and inside. Each floor offers a different function and experience for customers. For example, clothing shopping can be experienced on the 1st floor, while entering these pink capsules with facial recognition; You can view the clothes on the large digital screens inside, and at the same time, you can see the product you want to try on you with the 'augmented reality' technology, thanks to the smart mirrors. In this way, it is possible to avoid situations that may cause problems in terms of hygiene, such as trying or touching products that others have tried. On the third floor, there are capsules where cosmetic products are sold. In these capsules, while you can look at the products you want from the screens, at the same time, personalized testers of the selected products are offered to the customer. Thanks to robot assistants, social distance is maintained and your requests are fulfilled quickly. Thanks to the login with face recognition, your previous shopping experiences are collected in the memory of the capsules and wish lists that you may like while shopping is presented to you. You can realize the products you like and want to buy with a virtual payment in a capsule. Making the payment in capsules is a very important recommendation for social distance and getting away from the crowd. The purchased product is immediately supplied by the industrial robot from the warehouse in the basement and left at the delivery point, and the customer receives the product with the code shown on the screen.
How are green and technology integrated into each other?
The spiral tower in the middle of the 'Buy Hub' aims to connect the green space created on the ground with the sky. A green tower pierces the 'hub' and soars into the sky, and at the same time, the industrial robot in the middle of this tower ensures the delivery between the warehouse in the basement and the delivery point on the ground floor. The Buy Hub is accessed by stairs or elevators on the ground floor and has a one-way circulation. It is envisaged to minimize the crowd thanks to one-way circulation. Robot assistants in the multi-layer circulation network direct customers to empty capsules according to the type of shopping they want to do. After the payments are completed, customers are directed to the elevators and reach the delivery point on the ground floor, thanks to one-way automatic ramps. They buy their products from this point and complete their shopping.
