Style Guide Magazin 07.2016

About DIA, Frank Dittel and Retail Design

Since 2005 the architect who was born in Stuttgart has been owner of the company DIA – Dittel Architektn, with bureaus in his home town and in the German capital Berlin.

After the abitur Frank Dittel did a two-year apprenticeship as architectural draftsman at Kieferle&Partner in Stuttgart. Afterwards he started his studies in architecture which included some semesters abroad in Brussels and Barcelona. Even today the company owner calls Barcelona one of his favorite cities in the world together with Berlin, London, and Cape Town. Apart from travelling Frank Dittel has a predilection for modern design in combination with old masonry. “I am living in an old stone house built in 1920, which I have completely gutted and converted modernly. I love spacious rooms, good food, good wine and convivial evenings with friends”, he reveals.

For Frank Dittel there were just a few Jobs he was really interested in at school and the decision “fell into place more or less”, as the architect describes with a smile:

During school days a good friend of mine had told me with a twinkle in her eye that women would prefer the 3A which are Arzt (doctor), Anwalt (Lawyer) and Architect. Since my father had been a successful doctor this was not the right profession for me. I don´t wanted to compete with him, hopeless. And since I wasn´t really keen on cramming at school, the profession of a lawyer wasn´t the right thing for me either. But my teachers said that I was quite creative.

In the course of a practical school training at the age of 16 at Stuttgart-based architectural office Kieferle&Partner, Frank Dittel got the opportunity to work on an international project: “At that time I realized that this was the right profession for me. Even today I am deeply attached to Mr Kieferle”, he assures. “After two years of working as an employed architect in London, a good friend of mine offered me some projects in Germany in the sector of retail, which was the basis for today´s office DIA. Soon there were other projects for well-known clients and in 2013 we opened our second subsidiary in Berlin” Frank Dittel recalls the development of his career. Today DIA includes a team of 30 employees consisting of architects, interior architects, graphic artists, designers, and digital professionals. The focus is on retail, hospitality and corporate design.

Frank Dittel says that his studies in Stuttgart had been “diversified” and enabled the students “to try out different topics”. “For me it became clear quite soon that I was more interested in small projects with a quick progress. The zeitgeist could be taken up and implemented here; trends could be seen and realized more quickly. These experiences had a strong influence on my decision to join Virgile&Stone in London. My profound competences, not only in the sector of retail design, came while doing the job.”

The sector of retail design has always been very attractive for the passionate architect: “

There is no other sector that changes that dynamically like the retail branch. The shopping worlds, models and concepts will have to reposition in the upcoming years to be able to keep pace with the online business, he thinks.

“Cross channel marketing, connected shopping windows, virtual mirrors, and curated shopping are current buzzwords. They influence retail architecture. We have to keep up with the times and have to develop new concepts for the presentation of goods. Classical shopping worlds become digital platforms, which have to meet the requirements of all fields. During the next years we will witness exciting concepts which deal with digitalization”, Frank Dittel says.

When it comes to trends in the sector of retail architecture the experts of DIA see a trend towards opulent forma and luxurious materials. Dark woods, velvet textiles, gallant stones, as well as accents in gold and copper are widely spread and can be seen especially in exclusive stores. According to Frank Dittel there is a kind of countertrend at the moment, too: “There are still a lot of shops that remind you of pop-up-stores. They are intended to look improvised with rough materials and industrial charm. I would call the third trend as retro-charm. Old designs are newly interpreted. The topic of upcycling is gaining ground.”

There is also a strong coherence between retail architecture and the terms of brand/branding. With the “look and feel” of a retail store a clear message about the brand´s attitude can be communicated. The image of the store should correspond with the values of the company so that the core messages can be transported internally as well as externally. Or spoken in an architectural langue: “For a luxury brand we use appropriate valuable materials. A company that dedicates itself to sustainability has a strong focus resource saving production. The kind of product presentation always influences the perception of the products itself.”

Before every single project the architects of DIA do a holistic and detailed analysis: “

What characterizes the client, what is the core of the brand, what are the requirements? We work out concrete definitions of task and have an individual look on every project. We avoid repetitions in the conception as well as in the design. Every client deserves an individual look – adjusted to its requirements. For that we get a lot of positive feedback

assures company owner Frank Dittel, who gets inspiration from several sources: “Exchange with friends and colleagues, competitors, trends, travelling … there is no scheme for inspiration. A lot of experience, information and especially curiosity, desire for new things and passion for the profession help to have great ideas, when a project demands them.”

Source: Style Guide Magazin
Editor: Philipp Knab
Free translation by DIA – Dittel Architekten