Archinect - News

UNStudio completes Shanghai flagship store for Huawei behind ‘petal’ facade

2024-02-02T11:31:00-05:00

UNStudio has completed a flagship store for the Chinese communications giant Huawei in Shanghai.

Designed in collaboration with Huawei’s internal design team, the store seeks to create an “experience-rich concept that brings people, nature, and technology together and caters to consumer preferences.”

Image credit: Wen Studio

Image credit: Huawei

According to the architects, the design of the two-level store was inspired by biophilic forms that transition between indoor and outdoor conditions. Throughout the scheme’s interior and exterior, recycled materials are integrated to reduce the project’s environmental footprint, while detachable prefabricated systems are applied on floors and ceilings.

Image credit: Huawei

Image credit: Wen Studio

The building’s facade makes reference to the algorithm underscoring Huawei’s polar codes technology, with petal-like features appearing to be in different stages of growth, evolving in scale and rotation to form an “integrated geometric system that com...

Apple's first flagship store in India, designed by Foster + Partners, opens to the public

2023-04-18T15:30:00-04:00

Apple’s first flagship store in India, designed by Foster + Partners, is now open. It is located in the Bandra Kurla Complex, a business and residential district in Mumbai.

Employing many design elements synonymous with Apple stores around the world, Apple BKC attempts to blur the boundaries between inside and outside: A 26-foot-tall glass façade highlights the double-height volume within and the outdoor areas. Greenery is invited into the store, with a row of ficus trees slotted along the inside of the glazing.

Image: Foster + Partners

The connection between the interior and exterior spaces is further emphasized by a hand-crafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade to the underside of the exterior canopy. The ceiling is made up of a triangular grid of 450,000 individual timber elements. Each of the 1,000 ceiling tiles is formed using 400 pieces of oak timber (reportedly sustainably sourced) arranged in a lattice woven pattern. This was inspired by the work of cane an...

10 store designs we liked this week

2023-01-28T08:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Shopping Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Colvin Florist in Barcelona, Spain by ROMAN IZQUIERDO BOULDSTRIDGE; Photo: Adrià Goula

↑ Polaroid Pop-up Store in Chengdu, China; Interior Design: inkmason; Photo: One Frame Studio

↑ Moncler Shop in Gstaad, Switzerland by Küchel Architects

↑ Jiangnan Zan in Linhai, China by LYCS Architecture; Photo: WU Qingshan

↑ Yellow in Qom, Iran by The Shar Group; Photo: Sarang Farzamfar, Omid Sedighi

↑ A.P.C. Store in Los Angeles, CA by Laurent Deroo; Architect of Record: WORD; Photo: Taiyo Watanabe

↑ Uwajimaya Flagship Store Remodel in Seattle, WA by Hoshide Wanzer; Store Planning, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer,...

MVRDV uses recycled champagne bottles to help Bulgari put sustainability on display in Shanghai

2021-12-10T13:03:00-05:00

Bulgari is getting a timely makeover this holiday thanks to a green facelift from MVRDV.

Using recycled champagne bottles, the Dutch firm was able to produce a dazzling new jade-like facade for the luxury retailer’s new Shanghai flagship.

Image: © Bulgari/Xia Zhi

A nod to the Art Deco style that has characterized both the city and brand, MVRDV’s installation continues its use of the cornice motif used for Bulgari formed by layered panels of brass and the recycled bottles. The panels are backlit at night to create an enticing glow for shoppers at the city’s Shanghai Plaza 66 shopping mall.

Image: © Bulgari/Xia Zhi

Per the architects: “The glass is completely recycled, produced at the Magna factory in Teutschenthal, Germany, which specializes in glass treatment. The project demonstrates the potential of sustainable recycled materials, even in luxury contexts, and takes one step towards MVRDV and Bulgari’s goal of store designs that are built using 100% circular economy materials.”

Image...

AMO-designed new flagship for Virgil Abloh's Off-White has opened in Paris

2021-07-06T20:57:00-04:00

A new collaboration between OMA/AMO and design icon Virgil Abloh has opened in Paris this past weekend, giving the 9-year-old Off-White brand a flagship location in the couture capital’s 1st arrondissement.

The store is the second project from AMO and the famed designer after opening a Miami location at the end of last summer. The two had previously paired on a retrospective exhibition of Abloh’s work held at the MCA Chicago in 2019.

Off-White founder and creative director Abloh told Hypebeast he views the new flagship as “an incubator for new talent, a cultural connector within the community, and an experimental laboratory of creativity and innovation.”

The three-floor retrofitted 19th-century space features a ground floor with a dedicated wing for Nike products, gallery space, and two contrasting retail areas meant to “amplify the voices of the community” and evoke bygone Parisian flea markets respectively.

The remaining two f...

10 striking store designs for your Friday inspiration

2018-11-09T09:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Shopping Spaces.

↑ Headfoneshop in Toronto, Canada by Batay-Csorba Architects

↑ July - Life Academy in Shanghai, China by Mur Mur Lab

↑ Savannah Bee Company in Atlanta, GA by Bergmeyer

↑ The Wing Dumbo in Brooklyn, NY by Alda Ly Architecture & Design

↑ Press Club in San Francisco, CA by BCV Architecture + Interiors; Photo: Rien van Rijthoven Photography

↑ Tory Burch Flagship by O'Neil Langan Architects

↑ The Shop in New Delhi, India by Studio Lotus; Photo: Ravi Asrani

↑ Ports 1961 Hong Kong in Hong Kong by UUfie; Photo: Grischa Rüschendorf

↑ Supreme in Brooklyn, NY by Neil Logan, Architect

Click here to see more "Ten Top Images on...

Architecture critic Mark Lamster on the manipulative design of CVS Pharmacy stores

2018-07-12T15:21:00-04:00

[T]hough in practice CVS is context agnostic: A CVS looks like a CVS no matter where it is. It is a structure without character or distinction, and to walk along such a building is an unpleasant experience that degrades pedestrian life, the civic space and all the other properties around it.

Architecture critic Mark Lamster of The Dallas Morning News gives his two cents on why CVS Pharmacy, America's largest pharmacy chain, should rethink the “manipulative designs” of their retail stores, describing it as a case of “urban malpractice by chain retailers”.

“As a CVS customer, I would like to see the company do a better job of embracing the city on which it depends [...],” Lamster writes in the piece. “In areas where there is a growing pedestrianism, where the city is discovering a new walkability, it needs to rethink its designs.”

10 store designs that make shopping an experience

2018-02-16T09:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Shopping Spaces.

↑ Nike's Women Studio in New York, NY by Rafael de Cárdenas / Architecture at Large

↑ Silverpeak in Aspen, CO by Bldg Seed Architects & Surface Architectos

↑ 3.1 Phillip Lim in New York, NY by O'Neil Langan Architects

↑ The Inverted Truss – Renovation of a Historical Building in Taipei, Taiwan by B+P Architects; Photo: Hey! Cheese

↑ Alessa by Taller KEN

↑ MALVA in Tigard, OR by FIELDWORK Design & Architecture

↑ MAHER Women’s Apparel Store in Hamedan, Iran by Harmonic Trend [L]; Photo: Hamed Badami

↑ ChicBus Alipay Flagship Store in Hangzhou, China by LYCS Architecture; Photo: Elton, HU Xianjuan

↑ House of Pure Vin ...

Is it a bookstore? Is it a fashion concept shop? Yes!

2017-12-12T15:19:00-05:00

The future of brick-and-mortar bookstores has been in peril for at least a decade. But whether you’re actually shopping for a book or not, you might actually find yourself wandering into a bookstore by accident. Because fashion brands, from French icon Sonia Rykiel to New York City-based Warby Parker, are curating books not as objects to read but as objects of décor.

More and more trendy retailers that used to be exclusively online (think Warby Parker, Glossier, or Everlane) are beginning to open brick-and-mortar concept shops & flagship stores in major cities, and books appear to be front and center in store design — sometimes as mere decoration but more frequently actually for sale; further blurring the line between traditional bookstores and branded experiences.

LEONG LEONG designs Everlane's first flagship store in New York City

2017-12-01T19:42:00-05:00

Known for their high-quality fashion basics and “radical transparency” ethos, hip online brand Everlane is increasing their real-world presence with their first brick-and-mortar store in New York City. Opening early this month along Prince Street in Nolita, the Everlane store was designed by LEONG LEONG, who has previously designed stores for brands like Philip Lim and Siki Im.

Leong Leong worked with Everlane to create the 3,000 square-foot flagship, which evidently reflects the brand's pared down aesthetic and also features “soft technology” to bring the seamlessness of online shopping into a physical environment.

Rendering courtesy of Leong Leong.

Upon entering, customers first encounter the flagship's 14-foot structural glass storefront and a lounging area. Products are displayed on units symmetrically organized along the store's central axis, with each unit wrapped in white perforated metal and providing access...

A minimalist vintage clothing store by Gustavo Guimarães pops up in Porto

2017-11-30T19:58:00-05:00

Portuguese vintage clothing label Mão Esquerda Vintage has a new shop nestled in the 19-square-meter ground floor of a historic building in Porto. Refurbished by Atelier Gustavo Guimarães, the intimate space shows off trendy minimalist aesthetics fused with the “raw, traditional vibe” of Porto.

Working with the irregularities of the slender space, the Gustavo Guimarães team's objective was to create a flexible design that can display a large, eclectic collection of vintage clothes.

Photo: Nelson Garrido.

The resulting design focuses on two main curved elements, the architects describe. Complemented by the existing textured marmorite flooring of the building, “the first [element] is a gridded floor-to-ceiling wall made of oak that serves as a partition and also allows for a storage area behind. The second is a two-level iron hanging rail that allows the shop to change its configuration based on the items on display.” The store also features a refurbished counter that once belonged to...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Shopping Spaces" Pinterest Board

2016-10-28T14:57:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Shopping Spaces.

↑ Innisfree flagship store in Seoul, South Korea by Innisfree; Installation and Facade: SOFTlab

↑ Aesop ABC Viertel in Hamburg, Germany by Vincent Van Duysen Architects; Lighting Designer & Manufacturing: PSLab

↑ UYU Ice Cream in Vancouver, Canada by Leckie Studio Architecture + Design; Photo: Ema Peter

↑ Daily Roast in Bangkok, Thailand by Whitespace Ltd

↑ WILL Legacy Store in Detroit, MI by McIntosh Poris

↑ Josefinas NoLIta Flagship in New York, NY by Christian Lahoude Studio

↑ Pressed Juicery in Beverly Hills, CA by Standard®

↑ Ferrari Store in Maranello, Italy by IOSA GHINI ASSOCIATI

↑ 14 Dover Street, Alexander McQueen f...

Bureau Spectacular's first retail project is now open in L.A.'s Arts District

2016-09-12T18:52:00-04:00

Bureau Spectacular etched their mark into Downtown L.A.'s Arts District with the new Frankie flagship store that opened last Friday, celebrating the relaunch of the high-end streetwear label as well as the firm's first retail store design. Frankie founder Kevin Chen worked alongside Jimenez Lai in designing the store. For starters, Lai created the striking graphic novel-like facade on the building's revamped exterior — but that's where the fun starts.

Inside, the 2,000 square-foot retail space has a room-within-a-room setup that alludes to Lai's earlier works like the “Speechbuster / 99 Chairs” sculpture and the “Briefcase House”.

Visitors will encounter one of Bureau Spectacular's Super-Furnitures, described as “a structure too small to be a building but too large to simply be a piece of furniture”. The nine-piece, 28-foot-long modular staircase is an interactive jigsaw structure that can be assembled into a runway or to provide seating, or disassembled into individual pieces for var...

Tiny parking lots = big cost savings?

2016-03-23T17:43:00-04:00

Everyone loves the free samples, kitschy items, and affordable price points of SoCal grocer Trader Joe’s. The one thing that does spark ire about the chain is the small parking lots, which produce equal amounts of anxiety and horn abuse. But the website Strong Towns points out that TJ’s small footprints trickle down to cheaper prices for consumers.

If you're not within walking distance of a TJ's (or, if you're just lazy) parking in one of the lots requires the steady nerves of a Zen master and the spatial dexterity of an architect. Whatever method you use to get there, just don't forget your bag, or all of your kitschy sustainability cred will be erased.

Did you know: grocery stores aren't just great backdrops for Jane's Addiction videos (pictured above). For the best in grocery store design discussion:

Ten Top Images on Archinect's new "Shopping Spaces" Pinterest Board

2015-11-06T20:01:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the brand new board Shopping Spaces.

↑ Mills Pharmacy in Birmingham, MI by M1/DTW

↑ Rehabilitation of Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona, Spain by Miralles Tagliabue EMBT; Photo: Alex Gaultier

↑ Showroom Eurobike - Porsche in Brasília, Brazil by 1:1 arquitetura:design

↑ T-MAGI in Copenhagen, Denmark by WE Architecture; Photo: Enok Holsegaard

↑ XOCOLATTI in New York, NY by De-Spec

↑ Otsuka-Dofukuten in Kyoto, Japan by Yusuke Seki

↑ Aesop DTLA in Los Angeles, CA by Brooks + Scarpa

↑ MAC BEBEKOY in Istanbul, Turkey by URAS X DILEKCI

↑ Uhrwerk (shop) in Vienna, Austria by smartvoll Architekten ZT KG

(Cover pic: Melissa - We Are Flowers in New York, NY by SO...

With the Apple Watch coming soon, Jony Ive is already revamping the Apple Store design for its arrival

2015-02-17T17:34:00-05:00

Apple design chief Jony Ive and retail head Angela Ahrendts are working together on a redesign of Apple's retail stores — a different approach that will make them better suited for selling the fashionable Apple Watch, according to a new report. [...] And while Apple Stores are known for their carpet-less floors, Ive did tell Parker that he overheard someone say they wouldn't buy a watch from a store if they weren't standing on carpet.

What It’s Like To Be A Walmart Architect

2014-05-08T13:54:00-04:00

in Washington, D.C., the retail behemoth gave architects more creative license. The result is a move away from the blandness of Big Box in favor of place-based design. [...] I got a call from Gabe Massa of MMA Architects, who helped design this Walmart. I asked him how it was that this store managed to be so different and he laughed. “That’s a really loaded question,” he said.

L'Art du Papier / New concept store in Paris

2012-12-21T18:01:00-05:00

Project: Art Paper, a new store concept

Recently, a new "Art Paper" concept store was opened in Paris, France. We decided to use a simple and inexpensive material - plywood because the bugdet was limited. A constraint is the number of stationery items, here around 1000 references of paper ... The design team wanted to create a warm, natural for the customer to feel relaxed and take the time to choose. Thus, the time to sell is a little nicer in this atmosphere.

The project team: CD ARCHITECTURE / shinslab architecture
Director: Odegam
Area: 65m ²
Location: 17 avenue de Villiers 75017 PARIS
Year: December 2012
Photo: CD ARCHITECTURE

OMA to reimagine retail for Coach's new stores

2012-08-03T17:29:00-04:00

News broke about a collaboration between OMA and American luxury retailer Coach. With OMA partner-in-charge Shohei Shigematsu leading the design work, two new Coach flagship stores are scheduled to open in New York and Tokyo in the next few months and unveil the new concept.

Here's the official release we've received from OMA:

American fashion brand Coach has commissioned OMA to develop a new merchandizing system that accommodates Coach's wide diversity of products while returning to the clarity of Coach's heritage stores. The collaboration, led by OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu, will begin inside upcoming flagship stores in New York and Tokyo.

Since establishing its first workshop in 1941, Coach has diversified its range and style, while simultaneously broadening the spectrum of its retail environment: from factory stores to outlets, shop-in-shops, boutiques and flagships. Although this expansion transformed Coach from a specialis...