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Going the Distance

Under Armour’s performance-driven Brand House embraces a wider demographic in Baltimore

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A fraction of a second. That’s a typical difference between medals at the Olympics, a home run and an out at third, or a finish line crossing that snaps the winner’s tape – or doesn’t.

It might be guts that edges out the competition, but Baltimore-based Under Armour’s philosophy is that it might also be gear. Performance-obsessed, the sportswear retailer toned down its men-only vibe in its hometown last February, launching a Brand House that’s fixated on the finish line, but also welcoming to athletes of a less bone-crunching variety than the retailer’s core demographic.

Bradley Zizmor, principal of architecture+information in New York, worked on the project. He and his team quickly decided high-performance materials were too obvious a reference to the brand. Instead, he says, “We used architectural materials to perform in the spirit of the brand. It’s less literal, and more of borrowing the personality of the brand by using architecture and design to act in a high-performance way.”

Zizmor collaborated with Under Armour’s in-house design team for a performance-driven store that offers expanded footwear collections, as well as gear for women and kids.

That means yoga pants, footwear beyond the brand’s famously functional cleats, and gear for kids, too, all supported by vivid colors and giant graphics featuring local gyms, parks and schools. “You walk in and see punches of reds, blues, greens, high-vis yellow; using white and warm wood as a backdrop. The color just pops,” says Tom Walsh, Under Armour's senior director of retail store development.

When it comes to footwear, Under Armour doesn’t care if they have to put the shoe – or sock – on your foot. Designed to replicate old-school sneaker buying, a central footwear zone houses throne-inspired leather chairs and angled mirrors that conceal drawers full of athletic socks, trash receptacles, shoe horns and a Brannock Device for sizing. Employees are hired to sell gear based on personal experience, so the person lacing up your shoe may well be an Olympic hopeful or track coach.

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And the company’s obsessive focus on performance – because warm, dry gear leads to longer, more productive workouts – isn’t limited to shoes and shorts. The store itself is set up for maximum efficiency. Mannequins styled from head-to-toe with shirts, shorts, bags and gloves pose in front of fixtures with encyclopedic runs of all available colors and sizes. Store employees equipped with iPads stand guard, ready to ship any item for one-day delivery if it’s out of stock.

And once the optimal item is selected, an uncluttered cashwrap set against a dimensional Under Armour logo completes the experience. Bamboo adds warmth, minimal clutter ensures a speedy purchase, and a carved logo is an in-your-face wayfinding gesture.

And while warm wood and blazing colors draw in more casual athletes, the signature Under Armour grit remains with concrete, steel and a 330,000-LED Jumbotron that projects videos, sports games and Instagram images from shoppers and brand aficionados using Under Armour gear.

Under Armour’s tagline used to be “Protect this house.” Then, it was expanded to “Protect this house. I will.” Most recently, it was shortened to the hashtag-friendly “I will,” a nod to the willpower consumed in a tough workout or contest.

Like the brand’s uber-functional gear, the store’s design is based on performance: get in, get what you need, get out. And get on with your workout.

PROJECT SUPPLIERS

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Retailer & Design
Under Armour, Baltimore
Tom Walsh, Senior Director of Retail Store Development, Baltimore, MD
Patrick Stringer, Project Manager, Retail Store Development, Baltimore, MD
Nora Kenney, Retail Store Development Manager, Baltimore, MD

Design & Architecture
architecture + information, New York
Bradley Zizmor
Dag Folger
Phil Ward
Will Rosebro
Aaron Whitney
Chris Evans

Audio/Visual
Activate the Space, Canton, Conn.

Stretched Ceiling System|
Newmat USA, West Babylon, N.Y.

Fixtures/Signage
Chandler Inc., Afton, Minn.

Flooring/Carpet
Bentley Prince Street, Los Angeles, Calif.

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Flooring/Wood
Robbins Sports Surfaces, Cincinnati

Furniture Upholstery
Sixinch, Goshen, Ind.

Lighting
Wiedenbach Brown, New York

Lighting Design
Lighting Workshop, New York

Mannequins/Forms
Goldsmith, New York

Exterior Signage
Adart Sign Co., San Francisco

Custom Wall Coverings
Duggal Visual Solutions, New York

Exterior Custom Gate
Schweiss Doors, Fairfax, Minn.

Concrete Contractor
Ohio Cemtech, Cincinnati

In-wall Standards/Bracket System
Triad Manufacturing, St. Louis

Custom Shoe Displays
Cubic Visual Systems, Burnsville, Minn.

Architect of Record
Beatty Harvey Coco Architects, Baltimore

General Contractor
MacKenzie Contracting, Baltimore

Photography
Ben Rahn, New York
Amy Barkow, New York

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