GRIFFINS LANDING
Take one part old rail yard, one part vision and one part hard work with values and you got MacEwan University (MacEwan). Built on the legacy of Dr. Grant MacEwan, MacEwan has grown from a college into a University and on the way created a sense of family with the Griffins varsity sports teams as a large part of it.
Referred to MacEwan as a firm with retail experience, we were tasked with transforming an underused room into a new retail concept for the Griffins varsity sports team.
Our first task was to review the existing layout and access to the room. The existing room was raised with a suspended concrete slab approximately twenty-four inches above the main floor with one single small door on a raised platform that was only accessible by a series of ramps and stairs. Our new vision called for the complete removal of the old entrance, stairs and ramps and reprogramming the newly acquired space for student seating. From there the entire space was revised to have access from the main corridor and all entrances on grade.
In order to provide an unique experience for the store as well as those who pass by, we deleted any thought of traditional storefront signage and instead used a multi-monitor display system. This system could be used for marketing, signage, showing the Griffin sports games as well as a variety of other uses.
One of the key programming requirements was flexibility. We worked closely with both Alu and B+N Industries to select various retail fixtures that allowed the entire space to be changed and reprogrammed in a matter of a few hours. With little notice the space could be transformed from a retail space into an event space.
In order to respect the history of the old rat hole that used to be near this store, unique brick looking slat wall flanked each side of the cash desk. Existing brick columns on each side of the store were retained as an homage to the original building in which the store is located.
In order to bring in the Griffins brand into the store, design details included a large linear trophy display case behind the cash desk, custom iridescent mesh metal ceiling panels in the open ceiling area as well as the cash desk that through the maple slats, resembles forward and upward motion, just like that of a hockey puck, basket ball and more.