Adidas, Oxford Street

Perega recently provided structural engineering consultancy for Adidas’s latest retail project, a new, immersive store in the heart of London’s West End.

Involved in the project from the outset, we gave advice and detailed design solution on a number of different structural requirements, from a central, cantilevered staircase to supports for the store’s many display assets.

The new store was specifically built to offer customers one of the most digital and immersive shopping experiences ever. Opened earlier this year, the retail outlet recently received a highly-coveted accolade at the World Retail Awards for ‘Outstanding Store Design (> 1200sqm).

We’re proud to have helped the Adidas design team to realise their ambitious creative vision.

The Ultimate Retail Experience

When it came to the design of its new, award-winning Oxford Street outlet, iconic global brand Adidas knew it needed to create a visually striking, and enticing, space to stand out from the fierce competition in the surrounding area.

We were involved in the ambitious five-storey project from the very beginning, before the landlord began converting the building’s shell structure from office to retail, allowing us to influence the shell works. This ensured the floor plate and three-storey entrance atrium were to Adidas’s requirements.

Another important task during the early stages was the design and planning of the scenic lift and the main staircase, which would cantilever from, and wrap seamlessly around, the central lift shaft.

This was challenging work as it had to be completed during the landlord’s shell works before any other design elements were fully developed.

Aside from the design of other staircases within the space, we also helped to deliver unobtrusive, yet robust, supports for the store’s numerous digital display features.

My Adidas

Adidas wanted to create the most digital retail outlet in The West End, with smart mirrors, iPad consoles and immersive audio-visual installations. The larger of these items were hung, and the support we developed had to be aesthetically pleasing or hidden. This included one for the impressive digital chandelier and transparent display screens, suspended in the façade’s double-height ground floor windows.

Challenges were faced early on in the fit-out design, especially regarding the load-bearing capabilities of the structure which was inadequate to lay screed on. However, working closely with the main contractor, Powells, an alternate, lightweight solution was proposed to allow work to go ahead with minimal delay.

The client also wanted exposed concrete blockwork walls in the store, but the structure was inadequate to support this weight. Instead, block slips were glued to stud walls to reduce the weight but maintain the same aesthetic.

The overall result speaks for itself, and through our expert team’s advice and problem solving, we were able to deliver robust structures and systems according to Adidas’s overall brief, without any compromise on aesthetics.

Throughout the Adidas Oxford Street project, Perega worked closely with other members of the design team, including Mace, Powells, DB3 Architecture, Brinkworth Design and Quadrant Design.