Athletic Propulsion Labs

AFTER

PROJECT SCOPE: Convert a historic building in New York’s SoHo neighborhood into a shoe boutique – APL’s second location – with features perhaps more befitting religious spaces. The design of the 3800-square-foot destination was born of both inspiration and necessity. Though the team had an initial aesthetic in mind, they had to accommodate the built-in structural features of the building. The final design resulted from four initial “concepts”: curves, grids, lines and arches (the final design being curves), according to Jessam Al-Jawad, Co-Founder of the architectural firm Al-Jawad Pike (London), one of the teams behind the store’s design. Ultimately, the sand-colored palette, curved details (which recall an amphitheater) and the arched doorways (inspired by cathedrals) create “a minimalist but severe space with a quasi-religious atmosphere,” Al-Jawad says.

UNIQUE CHALLENGES: With prime real estate in New York come challenges, including regulations regarding historic preservation. The building’s exterior could only be cleaned, not renovated, according to Al-Jawad. And because of where the subfloor below the store fell on the lease line, the teams could not “do any localized strengthening,” Al-Jawad says. The columns that supported the floor’s structural integrity were misaligned and ultimately had to be worked around: The solution was teardrop-shaped curved columns holding merchandise. Boulder props were initially planned to be genuine, however, clay-molded boulders, inspired by those found in quarries, were used instead.

BEFORE

Unique Materials: Gold, anodized aluminum display boxes showcase shoes with an emphasizing backlight. The boulders visually match the store’s color tone and appear as if naturally occurring in the travertine floors. A clay-based plaster was used to add texture and depth to the walls as the gritty material captures the light and adds shadow. This further emphasizes the store’s sanctified aesthetic with the sandy texture reminiscent of the film “Dune.” The multi-colored onyx stones that make up the floor and walls of the dressing room are divided into five equal sections to represent the five New York boroughs. The dressing room, according to Al-Jawad, is a microcosm of the entire project – a collaboration between APL, Al-Jawad Pike and Schimenti Construction Company to create a mesmerizing and unique space.