Thankyou Concept Store
In conceptualising Thankyou's first retail store, we were inspired by the vision to create a multisensory experience; a space that could embody the feeling of stepping into a new dimension. As a social enterprise whose ethos is to bring 'Light to the Dark', we felt it was important for the store to have a stark contrast to the busyness, noise, and messaging of the outside world. Thankyou was also driven by the narrative of an 'inside store'; an intimate environment where they could share their story and the connection between the brand's mission to end global poverty with their evolving product range.
To translate this message into a spatial experience, we were immediately drawn to the idea of creating a three-dimensional landscape or topography to encompass visitors and to provide multiple display surfaces for the product to sit on. Form-finding and design explorations led us to the use of circular tiered forms that rise gradually around guests to immerse them within the brand's product and narrative, forming an amphitheatre. Creating a threshold between the outside world and this intimate environment, the circular entry portal signifies a transition from the noise, light, and sound of the busy city street, into the stillness and tranquillity of the store; positioning guests to feel removed, relaxed, and ready to take in the depth of the product, stories, and messaging on display.
The architecture breaks up the expansive floor plate into multiple spaces and allows for flexibility in use. The amphitheatre presents as a continuous canvas for products to be displayed, while the steps also act as tiered seating during events and presentations. Restrained lighting disperses a soft glow that cascades down the amphitheatre steps and brings focus to a large cylindrical light form that extrudes down from the centre of the ceiling. Aligned directly under the feature light is a round table where conversations, interviews, and events are centred around, and where key product is featured and released. Dubbed the ‘Change Room' (for its focus on the brand's social impact), the rear portion of the store is an inverse of the stark, crisp, white interior of the amphitheatre, and translates Thankyou's mission and vision into a futuristic, typographic and infographic display via a continuous 12-meter LED screen that is mirrored on both ends of the blacked-out space. Secondary galleries occupy the side areas behind the amphitheatre, sharing the background and story of the brand through suspended panels, soft lighting, and ambient soundscapes.
The multisensory space comes together to create a highly tactile yet surreal experience, acting as a canvas for the brand and its goods, while providing the depth and layers necessary to communicate Thankyou's vision to change the world through reimagining consumerism.
Best Design Awards New Zealand, Gold Winner (Retail)
Discipline / Architecture
Status / Construction Completed
Photography / Dave Kulesza
Year / 2023