Digikala’s first flagship store occupies 400 m² inside the Royal Mall in Tehran, and marks a significant reversal in retail evolution. After decades of digital migration, the project explores the opposite trajectory: how the strengths of an online platform can be extended into physical space, expanding interaction into an architectural and sensory experience.
Digikala is Iran’s largest e-commerce company with over 40 million monthly visitors and one of the largest fulfillment centers in the Middle East. Yet only five percent of mobile phone purchases occur online. This discrepancy triggered a major question for MARZ Design and Architecture: how can a physical Digikala store provide a value that surpasses the digital platform? The store becomes a spatial prototype where browsing and interaction are the product, and the customer becomes a participant rather than a passive consumer.
ARCHITECTURAL VISION
The interior is organized around two devices: a 54-meter continuous spiral and a series of portal-like elliptical chambers. The spiral integrates circulation, display stands, seating, and service stations into a single navigational path that guides visitors across 70 products, rotating offers, and digital features.
The ceiling transitions into elliptical cylinders through sweeping arches that slow down movement and frame immersive “pause points” in the experience. A clear material contrast defines the spatial hierarchy: white textured plaster finishes above, and dark micro-cement below unify the ceiling, stands, and floor as a continuous surface.
EXPERIENCE PORTALS
Three large cylindrical portals transform digital systems into a spatial experience:
- • The Sound Portal uses audio-reactive lighting and sound to create an immersive ambiance.
- The Game Portal introduces responsive lighting and atmosphere for VR and console experiences.
- The Mobile Portal employs real-time projections and comparison tools for mobile devices.
These vertical volumes reframe interaction at the scale of the body, something not possible within a traditional online retail interface.
GALLERY AS PUBLIC INTERFACE
The store is conceived not as an isolated showroom but as a public interface connected to the mall. A cylindrical gallery with LED walls and a central circular table serves as a platform for digital art, product launches, and events, turning the store into a cultural and commercial hybrid.
RHINO-BASED DESIGN & COORDINATION
The entire project is developed inside Rhino, which functions as the main platform for geometric exploration, parametric logic, and fabrication. SubD modeling drives the portals and spiral, enabling precise control of curvature and double-curved surfaces.
Grasshopper establishes relationships between floor, wall, and ceiling, and provides a single parametric model from which all outputs are generated: CNC profiles, installation sequences, lighting coordination, and structural detailing.
FABRICATION & CRAFT
Construction fuses computational workflows with traditional fabrication. All major components are CNC-cut and tagged directly from the Rhino model. On-site, geometric calibration ensures digital accuracy despite conventional construction tolerances. Craftsmen form the final plaster surfaces using custom tools, flexible curved pipes, and trowels, achieving smooth, continuous geometry.
The scratched surface textures, embedded logo, and contrasting materials highlight the spatial language of the portals, while lighting channels carve the ceiling and define the spiral path.
The result is a store that merges digital precision, rapid execution, and human craftsmanship into an immersive interior experience. Digikala’s flagship demonstrates how an online brand can evolve into a spatial experience and was awarded Best Retail Design at WAF 2025 in Miami.
CREDITS
Principal Architect: Hooman Talebi
Project Architects: Mehrnaz Zarrin, Farshad Nasiri
Design Team: Mona Hejazi, Mohsen Hojati
Technical Consultant: Ali Merati
Contractor: Momken Studio
Construction Detail Designer / Supervisor: Meysam Feizi
Structural: Afshin Masoudi
Mechanical: Farnood Ayeendar
Electrical: Tico
Lighting: Pars Idea Stack
Technology: Eqsci
Environmental Graphics: Address Agency
Photography: Deed Studio (interior), Arman ShahMohammad (exterior)
