The San Francisco Giants wanted a team shop that would function as a gateway between the street and Pacific Bell Park stadium- a retail store that would entice fans to shop and buy as they passed through to the ballpark.
Callison Architecture (Seattle) took this challenge head on, designing a three-story building that houses 30,000 square feet of corporate office space for the Giants'organization and a 5000-square-foot, two-floor Dugout Store. "Our goal was to create a vital urban destination that complements the stadium while generating energy of its own," says Callison designer Stephanie Long. "The design of the building reflects a new era for the Giants: the shift from a baseball company to an entertainment organization."
One of the biggest challenges was to capitalize on the heightened exposure and traffic the store would have on game days. The "under-the-bleachers" concept relates directly to the surrounding warehouse-district neighborhood. With the under-the-bleacher idea in mind, the design team used raw concrete on the floors, corrugated, galvanized aluminum and steel railings painted "ballpark green." "We kept the paint palette neutral so the merchandise would really pop," says Long. "It was a counterpoint to the graphics and the wealth of memorabilia the Giants gave us to work with."
Long feels the signage and graphics are the most powerful elements in the store. In particular, a 6-foot-high band of wallpaper graphics includes historical images of Giants teams throughout the years. "We printed this in a variety of sepia tones to work with the neutral palette and to suggest the history and nostalgia of the Giants," she explains. "It was important to remind customers that this is a team with a rich tradition." Repetition of the team logo, graphics and pennants also reinforces the Giants'team brand.
Raw concrete, corrugated, galvanized aluminum and "ballpark green" steel railings were used to define the "under-the-bleachers" concept. Because of the limited floor space, the use of fewer fixtures improved circulation and traffic flow. Fewer fixtures were used to improve circulation on crowded game days and to keep the floor open and shoppable. "Because of the limited floor area, we took advantage of the high ceilings and tall billboard display walls, and created layers and tiers of both graphics and merchandise to emphasize the product," says Long. Organizing the store with a hierarchy of focal points also led to the cashwraps being placed at the hubs of the store. Warehouse-type lighting fixtures and halogen accent lights were used to add a simple element.
Located at the corner of Third and King Street along the San Francisco Bay waterfront and facing the Willie Mays Plaza, the Dugout Store builds on the history that defines the Giants'organization.
Client Team: San Francisco Giants- Connie Kullberg, general manager, retail and internet; Derik Landry, director, retail operations
Design Team: Callison Architecture Inc., Seattle-George Wickwire, principal-in-charge; Martin Anderson, design principal; Stephanie Long, designer; Ron Singler, graphic design; Xiaolei Ouyang, construction administration
Suppliers: Gerbert Ltd., Lancaster, Pa. (flooring); Comatec, Toronto (store fixtures and cashwraps); Supergraphics, San Francisco, Thomas Swan Co., San Francisco (graphics/signage); Abolite, Cincinnati, Holophane, Richmond Hill, Ont., Juno Lighting, Des Plaines, Ill. (lighting); Kovach, Mesa, Ariz., Benjamin Moore Paint, Los Angeles (wallcoverings)