SPACE10 Delhi

IKEA’s Research and Design Lab at New Delhi

Pun:Chat Team in conversation with SPACE10 Delhi

Design solutions to improve the everyday life of everyone- that is the foundation of an interesting and timely initiative- SPACE10 a satellite at New Delhi. This venture, now closed it’s center at Delhi,  is supported by IKEA. Visualized as a research and design lab, it contributed to IKEA’s vision of bringing new perspectives and design solutions to create a better everyday life for many people. SPACE10 explored solutions in a wide range of issues- the future of food, architecture and city design, clean energy solutions, exploring the future of self-driving cars, as well as utilizing the most promising avenues of emerging technology. Set up in 2015 as a not-for-profit platform, it was open to the public.  It was envisioned to be a place where diverse talent could meet, share, and play.

A nighttime view of the SPACE10 office within the Dhan Mill compound. An inventive space for creative minds of the city, Dhan Mill is symbolic of new thinking and innovation.

Photo by Deepshikha Jain

After being established in various urban centers across the world- New York, London, Shanghai, and Nairobi, SPACE10 Delhi a satellite was a “ pop - up”. The rationale for Delhi Site was that India presents a unique space to explore solutions for a better life. It has a combination of socio-cultural and environmental diversity. It has a fast-growing economy. It experiences a web of environmental and social issues. The challenges at India’s doorstep as with many other countries are pollution, climate change, urbanization, and migration. With the largest population of youth in the world, India has unimaginable potential to surmount these issues. These factors allow India to become an ideal place for exploring new solutions that can help combat real problems for real people.

Picture showing the neat and industrial workspace of SPACE10. in Delhi

Photo by Deepshikha Jain

We had a unique opportunity to visit the SPACE10 satellite on 13th Feb 2020. Located in an old industrial area of Chattarpur, in Dhan Mill, SPACE10 shared the compound with various boutique showrooms, design studios, artists, coworking spaces, and turned out to be a fascinating culture hub for the creative elite of New Delhi. The lab was designed to be flexible and combined the traditional craft heritage of India and Scandinavian minimalist aesthetics. The tall ceiling with a mezzanine floor allowed the space to be an office and a gallery at the same time. Being on different floors, the two functions were easily segregated yet visually connected to each other. The colors blue and green dominated the otherwise neutral color palette of the workspace. Blue,  as informed to Punchat was the signature color of the meatpacking district in Copenhagen while green owed its existence to everyone’s love for plants. The unfinished textures of exposed brick and concrete,  along with a powerful aroma of coffee as one entered the space, defined the ambiance and created a thoroughly sensory experience.

Our meeting with SPACE10 Delhi.

SPACE10 was set up in New Delhi in November ‘19 - March ’20.

Photo by Pun:Chat

The set-up in Delhi consisted of a small core team, strategically kept so to allow room for collaborators who can provide diverse perspectives depending on contact and their field of specialization.  Kevin Curran -Programme Lead and Jamiee Williams – Architecture Lead, explained to the Pun: Chat team how they are using technology to distribute the design, making it accessible not just physically, but digitally from its various centers. With a young, tech-savvy population in India, they hoped to test and try some of their projects in the Indian context while looking at social and environmental shifts. A refreshing approach to design, the space also hosted public programs such as community talks, exhibitions, workshops for an engagement with ideas, and collaboration with the public.

Based on the Interview of SPACE10 Theme by:

Ar. Pragya Chauhan | Ar. Nisha Parikh