James Angeles BA (Hons) Interior Design
My design philosophy is to conceptually approach the brief, whilst remaining sensitive to the site and its history. I aim to create bespoke environments which spark knowledge through experience. I design spaces with a focus on narrative and atmosphere, as well as function and practicality.
The purpose of Ice Breaker is to deliver an interaction between the community of Manchester and the history of The Little Italy community as pioneers of Britain's ice cream industry in the late 1800s.
The proposal, enables the present community to relive Little Italy, by remaking traditional Italian gelato, celebrated by the Ancoats community. Therefore, the ethos of Ice Breaker derives from the idiom "to break the ice", which leads the design to create a social and interactive design. It is A hybrid of craft and tradition to showcase the process of making traditional ice cream.
The Space is inspired by the concept, creating an experience during the post-technological period, which creates a nostalgic atmosphere. The Ice House and Ice Well present traditional forms of harvesting ice, which informs the younger generation of the labour of gathering elements use to create ice cream. Meanwhile, Learning Spaces, Alchemy Store and Alchemy Spaces enable the users to manually create their gelato through traditional procedures.
Ice Breaker provides an innovative approach to retail design, by creating a bespoke experience through narrative, unlike any other gelato store. The minimal design of the space shifts the focus on the function rather than aesthetics, through customer experience for all age groups, young and old.
A supplementary experience is provided in St. Peters Square, in the form of a Pop-up version of Ice Breaker. This advertises the space to a wider community of Manchester, to encourage more users to visit the store located in Ancoats. This project explores retail design, brand evolution and detailing skilfully.
