-
Architects: LUKSTUDIO
- Area: 1366 m²
- Year: 2019
-
Photographs:Ines Leong of L-INES Photo
Text description provided by the architects. Inside a 4-storey heritage brownstone in the popular NoHo neighborhood in New York City, Showfields launches its first location and brings upon a new platform for both brands and customers. The business model aims to streamline the process for online brands going offline and deliver a customer-centric experience: half "show" and half "fields", that requires a more dynamic and adaptive retail environment. Lukstudio was brought onboard to create a flexible infrastructure that adapts to different events and vendors.
On the first floor, white walls form a zigzag gallery that reveals and conceals as one moves along the space, luring the curious minds to explore within. The white enclosure opens to different stores at strategic locations and frames these colourful worlds beyond. The second floor shares the same layout as the first one, except the solid and grid walls are swapped, so the space feels more open at first glance.
On the third floor that is dedicated to fashion, we opt for a parallel wall layout where aligned openings form a corridor and frame a spiral slide at the end. This floor could host catwalk shows where models slide away after walking down the aisle. The last floor is equipped with an open kitchen, a long dining table and a living area. Together with the roof garden, the homey loft provides many possibilities for private events.
The wall partition not only serves as a visual buffer between different immersive stores, but also encases all the audiovisual equipment and wiring, avoiding unsightly clutter. The grid allows each brand to customize its shop easily by simply combining different kit-of-parts ranging from shelving, cabinet and panels that come in different sizes and materiality. The resulting interiors deliver a sense of serendipity with a modular order.
The overall experience in Showfields is reminiscent of walking in a white village and discovering something new at every corner, may it be art exhibitions, interesting boutique shops or a festival event. In the era of new retail, a hybrid project like Showfields presents an opportunity to rethink our social experience in a physical store.
In the era of new retail, a hybrid project like Showfields presents an opportunity to rethink our social experience in a physical store. A meaningful shopping experience is a lot more than picking something, pay and go; it should be an exchange of ideas with new people, a discovery of what’s out there and who we are. Therefore, the physical platform for a successful hybrid space should cater to different social activities where everyone can find a spot of interest.
