When Kirk Patton called to tell me he was planning to relocate Bang & Olufsen, his high end audio, video and multi-media store, from the Country Club Plaza to the hip and urban Crossroads District it was like hearing from an old friend. Better yet is was like hearing from an old friend that had a really cool store he wanted you to help design! Kirk and I really hadn't crossed paths for several years since we'd worked together on an epic scale residential project around the turn of the millennium. Given the passage of time and knowing that he must have worked with many architects in the interim I had to contemplate why he turned to me for this important undertaking. "I really appreciated the way you contributed dynamically to the design process" he said. Now I'm not a flashy guy so I interpreted that statement to mean that I respected my client's aspirations but would comment or propose options when my instincts and experience told me that there may be a better way to accomplish the stated goal. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
This is an exterior shot of the new store location at 1901 Main. It's a great historic building with a wonderful retail facade. Viewing all that meticulously proportioned Scandinavian gear through those expansive storefront windows is going to be fantastic. What a great addition to the First Friday experience.
The retail space lines the glazed perimeter walls to establish clear interior circulation from the front door and high visibility from the two major streets that form the corner location of the building. The retail space eventually terminates in a raised level theater that will provide a more intimate environment in which to experience the most exclusive Bang and Olufsen products.
These are some renderings followed by a construction progress photo from a similar vantage point.
The "back room" administrative and storage functions were planned as efficiently as possible order to maximize open retail space for a movable display system being developed by Kirk and artist/craftsman Tim O'Neill. Fixed walls were designed only where acoustical or privacy concerns dictated, and where ideally suited for product presentation. A great deal of thought was given to the sculptural presence of all constructs within the space. Wall heights and thickness, material combinations, intersections between new construction and the shell and concrete structural frame of the existing historical frame all presented rich opportunities for visually creative problem resolution. When fixed walls were required, large sliding or swinging doors were planned to make the space as open as possible. Clerestory glazing was used to capitalize on the space's high ceilings and improve day lighting in space that did require fixed walls. The store's grand opening will coincide with next month's First Friday June 4th
