Judges' Comments
- The jury agreed there were a lot of things to like about this project including the choice of materials, the successful linking of new and existing architecture, and the good expansion of brand identity through the built environment. The design of the space, the furnishings, the lighting, and product displays have a feeling of consistency which reinforces the brand on a subliminal level.
Project Data:
Completion Date: 11/7/2016
Square Footage: 4484
Building Use: Retail
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Project Description:
Existing within a repurposed 1915 shipping warehouse, this Shinola sits in the heart of the City of Los Angeles Arts District. Maintaining much of its original form, the 60-year-old structure features the original unreinforced masonry walls and heavy timber bow string trusses supporting the exposed barrel roof. The design teams’ scope was to transform this raw tenant space into the new home for the Shinola retail store, di Alba Café, and SAVED tattoo salon. The requirement was to bring all three experiences under one roof, maintaining and preserving the character and design aesthetics of the original building’s architecture.
Designers endeavored to create three separate retail offerings that also share and express the same connective tissue of the 1915 warehouse building in which they inhabit. The Shinola store is designed with di Alba as a complement to the retail experience with SAVED as a by appointment only “speak easy” discovered third place, neatly off stage. The three uses needed to, at once; coexist symbiotically, establish distinct identities and experiences while maintaining and revering the original architecture and DNA.
Shinola has built a new brand with a compelling story from the ashes of Detroit’s car industry, one that celebrates craftsmanship and is built on a mission to create jobs and employ skilled American labor. The creative design team prioritized the brand’s ethos and made sure it translated into the finished space and could be felt by consumers.
The LA Arts Shinola store is one of several, each maintaining a unique story and localized to reflect the surrounding neighborhood or community – for example, the Abbot Kinney store which used to be a training gym for Muhammed Ali.
C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment
Submitted By: |
Little |
Design Architect: |
Shinola Detroit/Gachot |
Associate Architect or Firm: |
N/A/ |
Landscape Architect: |
N/A/ |
Owner / Developer: |
Shinola |
Engineer: |
Linwood Engineering |
General Contractor: |
Shawmut Design and Construction |
Consultant: |
N/A |
Photographer: |
Henry Cabala |
Shinola
Category
Commercial Interiors
Winner Status
- Citation Award