Powerhouse Company’s inSports store in Beijing

Today’s increase in online sales and purchases is requiring brick and mortar stores to make some changes. One way retailers can offer more in the future is to attract customers with promises of new experiences in addition to the conventional shopping experience.

In China, for example, there is a new trend towards offering experiences of action and interaction. In this context a sporting goods store, “inSports”, designed by Powerhouse Company in Beijing has become a place to try out virtual sports with skiing and snowboarding simulators and even a nightclub.
The need to integrate the simulators into the store gives the space its character, the concept around which it is designed. The architects drew their inspiration from the triangular geometry of mountains in creating platforms that fit fluidly into the space while at the same time differentiating the multi-purpose area where the simulators are located. In these little artificial mountains there are seats, surrounding the areas containing the simulators, and the triangular shape also predominates in the elements in the middle of the space: a bar with a DJ area and a reception desk. Projections on the walls and floor help create and simulate snowy mountain landscapes.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Architect: Powerhouse Company
Partner in Charge: Nanne de Ru, Stijn Kemper
Team: Anne Larsen, Ryanne Janssen, Yoko Cao, Thomas Grievink, Frank Loer, Erik Hoogendam, Borys Kozlowski, Mika Woll, Matteo Pavanello
Light design: LDPi
Local architect: GRN Design
Location: Beijing, China
Size: 1,000 m²
Client: Yintai Group
Client project team: inluxury team
Ski simulators: SkyTechSport

Images courtesy of Powerhouse Company, photo by by Wu Qingshan

www.powerhouse-company.com

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