design:retail - November/December 2019 - 52

amp up the brand energy to help attract and retain
customers. She was looking for the space to be
dynamic and vibrant, which impacted the strategies around light and daylight, a key design
element for the project. Understanding the constantly changing world, flexibility and adaptability
were important, so the space can evolve with the
Nordstrom customer. And last, but not least, the
intent was to reinforce the service culture of the
brand by creating a warm and inviting environment that embraces and welcomes everyone.
Starting with the exterior, the design emphasizes openness, light and technology. Inspired by
the history of the area-home to artists and studios-
James Carpenter wanted to deepen the connection
between the building and the street, moving away
from a typical flat exterior. Using double parabolic
S-curved-shaped glass, Carpenter developed a
waveformed glass façade that creates a dynamic
visual. This detail commands attention and changes
the entire retail environment, supporting an interactive experience for those outside looking in, as
well as customers inside looking out. The entire
façade is the window display, and the city becomes
part of the shopping experience.
"By curving the glass and having opposing
pieces meet, you eliminate the need for mullions,"
Carpenter explains. "The glass itself is the structure, so the wall is very light in feeling and dynamic.
A rhythm happens to the density and scale of the
curves as they flow into each other. This is a structural yet poetic solution that entices people into
the space."
To further enhance this dramatic storefront, light
with full color capabilities was built into the 57th
Street façade. Ribbons of light follow the curves of
the glass, allowing the whole wave form of the window to undulate with color.
Not only does the façade create visual impact
from the street, the curves allow customers a
deeper look inside the store before actually entering. This effect was reinforced at the entry, where
the stepped façade creates an open vestibule on the
street, a connection that draws people inside.
The curved effect influenced the entire architectural strategy, changing the interior landscape
of a traditional department store. All edges were
softened (from column forms to radiused edges),
ceilings float and there are fluid connections between planes. To further enhance this effect, the
shell and core of the building were re-engineered
to minimize walls within each floor. While a challenge, the result is uninterrupted views through the
entire building and an undulating shape that gives
a softening character to the overall space.

"One of our goals was to make the entire experience as intuitive as possible. Everything is designed
from the eye level and orchestrated so when you
come in it feels open and you can see across the
store," Clark says. "There is a lot of natural orientation that happens by the openness of the store and
having no walls. With full windows on every floor,
you are not only oriented in the store, but in the city
with a sense of the time of day and the weather."
Maintaining an open, continuous yet connected
plan can be a challenge when programming so
many categories and destinations within the space,
but the creative team took advantage of this opportunity to redefine the retail experience. Clear
categories, messaging, directories and staff help
guide shoppers as needed, but the design reinforces
intuitive wayfinding, as well as a sense of discovery.

"Not having a store
in Manhattan is
what we have been
missing; it really is
everything for us."
- DAWN CLARK, NORDSTROM

With no dead ends or three-wall shops, the intent
was to draw customers in to explore.
"There are no harsh corners and all of our transitions softly reflect light," Clark describes. "Our
feeling is that you should be drawn in and want to
explore. The quality of air and sound, the tactile
choreography of all the different finishes, the daylighting and lots of indirect lighting-we wanted
everything to just feel good."
With light and glass as the primary materials, the
team worked within a simple neutral palette to create a restrained background for the flexibility and
playfulness of the changing displays. Materials-
such as metals, and diffused and etched glass-were
selected for their responsiveness to light in order to
fill the space with an ethereal beauty and add soft
reflections of color and movement.

"It is quiet, but seductive in a way," Carpenter
says. "It is soothing and calm with a sense of richness and liveliness that light brings to a space. It is
the optimum environment to carefully curate the
products being displayed, a great background that
links the spaces together using similar materials."
One unique material the team took advantage
of was the use of chain-mail veils. Clark emphasizes the material's amazing ability to reflect light
and maintain sightlines. "We used that material to
create shops, especially on designer brand floors. It
defines space, but doesn't block views," she adds.
"We also left the ends open, so if you walk in from
one side, you are not captured. You are free to walk
through the shop and go out the other side. Shoppers don't feel a sense of commitment, they can
decide to go in or not, and can easily see through or
walk through to explore."
This sense of exploration is enhanced throughout
the store, especially at connecting points between the
buildings. Carpenter created atriums, dramatic staircases and escalator cores that add to the experience.
"There is invention and varied experiences that add
a lot of character to the space as you move around
it-nice experiential moments," Carpenter notes.
Another layer of character is added with art
installations. From permanent installations to
changeable displays to theatrical rigging in both the
main entrance on 57th Street and in the seven-level
escalator atrium, the store is a setting for creative
expression, a place to celebrate art in all its forms.
The character and artistic nature of the design
speaks to the spirit of hospitality Nordstrom wanted
infused into every aspect of this retail experience.
In addition to the art displays, dramatic connecting points and areas for theatrical moments, there
are destination restaurants, as well as food and
beverage offerings, integrated within the shopping
environment and accessible at any touchpoint.
From menus in the fitting rooms to employees with
headsets to facilitate service anywhere in the store,
customers are offered the highest level of service
and hospitality.
Likewise, the integration of digital services into
the physical store is easily accessible and seamless.
Specialized services, such as BOPIS, have highly visible designated areas. An Art@Nordstrom app allows
customers to take an audio-guided tour of the store's
art collection. Clark says the intent was to build a
seamless ecosystem for customers, so they doubled
the amount of power and data accessible to the store.
"We know what we are doing today and trying to
do for tomorrow, but things are changing rapidly,"
Clark says. "We don't know what the future holds
in five or 10 years, so we increased what is possible

design:retail - November/December 2019

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