CONVERSION – SPECIALTY STORE, SALES AREA OVER 10,000 SQ. FT.
Uniqlo Faneuil Hall
Boston
Submitted by: SHAWMUT DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION, BOSTON
Photography: JIM BADERSHALL AND BENJAMIN JOHNSON, BOSTON
With stores popping up in densely populated U.S. cities, it comes as no surprise that Yamaguchi, Japan-based Uniqlo selected Boston as one of its newest locations to plant an American outpost. Its actual location in Quincy Market at the historic Faneuil Hall, however, was slightly out of the ordinary. Built in 1826, the colonial marketplace has been home to countless tenants over the years, but this particular part of the building has never been an apparel retail space.
Uniqlo, Boston / Photography: JIM BADERSHALL AND BENJAMIN JOHNSON, BOSTON
Rather than following the white-on-white design scheme Uniqlo is typically known for, Shawmut Design and Construction (Boston) opted for rustic wood floors and black design elements to complement the 12,400-square foot, two-story building’s existing brick walls, granite stairs and post-and-beam timber trusses. Uplighting was used against brick to highlight the walls as a feature element.
“It had to look like it fit, and it had to function properly to sweep traffic up from the ground level into the upper space,” says Dave Margolius, Shawmut’s project executive for Uniqlo – Boston. “Design-wise, it marries Faneuil Hall to the rest of the Uniqlo aesthetic.”
Uniqlo, Boston / Photography: JIM BADERSHALL AND BENJAMIN JOHNSON, BOSTON
Speaking to its location, the design incorporates Boston-specific touches, including placement of Red Sox jerseys and famous moments in the city’s history framed on entrance-area walls.
Competition judge, Jay Highland, chief creative officer, Chute Gerdeman (Columbus, Ohio), admired the retailer’s willingness to think outside the box: “You don’t see Uniqlo using wood floors and brick very often!” he said. “[Faneuil Hall] does look like that, too; it’s not fancy-modern, as [Uniqlo] stores tend to be.”
View Parts I, II and III of this year’s competition.
To enter VMSD’s 2017 Retail Renovation Competition, stay tuned for the announcement of the call for entries, early next year.