design:retail - March/April 2020 - 25

In the Elements
Room, a wraparound
digital projection
immerses visitors in
seasonal landscapes.

"Creating a spiral plan allowed us to make a
route to connect experiential destinations, which
is an entirely different way of seeing a store,"
describes Jonathan Tyler, design manager at
Gensler. "We created a series of spaces and experiences that you are led through."
The spiral layout and the need to create a connection to the feeling of vastness related to being
in the outdoors also changed the approach to the
façade. A two-story rockface was built to entice
customers inside. This was a challenging detail that
used triangulated folded panels to create a gnarly
rocky surface. The way it was constructed makes
it feel as if the mall was developed around the
rock. Departing from the transparency of window
displays, a massive LED screen shares brand
imagery to create an enticing connection and lure
customers in.
The creation of the Crevasse demonstrates the
give and take of the plan and design concepts. It
shows how great things can be achieved in even
the smallest of spaces. The team worked with a
sliver of space to bring the outdoors to life. This
part of The Journey provides a pathway that brings
customers from the façade into the retail environment. A rough stucco, inspired by French-Swiss
architect Le Corbusier's project work, was used to
develop the heavy rock-like, cave feel. The towering
stucco in a dark finish achieves a claustrophobic
effect that is reinforced by the OLED panels under
glass flooring, simulating cracking ice underfoot.
As customers walk, industrial active sensors detect the footsteps and trigger the animation of ice
cracking that is complemented by sounds of the
Artic emanating from below and above.
Emerging from this cave, the wall kinks to guide
customers into an event space referred to as the
Elements Room. The materials palette and lighting
strategy for this project were driven by the technical
requirements of the space, such as in this area that
is surrounded by wraparound digital projections.
The 60-ft.-wide curved wall displays are finished in
a painted material to support the highest definition
possible for the seasonal content that is projectionmapped using 4K laser projections in the ceiling.
The full wall seasonal landscapes, shot on location
in British Columbia, Canada, serve as the backdrop
for a mannequin installation in the center of the

22-7_drm_0320_CanadaGoose.indd 25

room. This display showcases a rotating collection
of seasonal product. The bench seating surrounding the display can be pulled away to support events
and presentations, such as special appearances by
Goose People (everyday heroes the brand recognizes as its ambassadors of excellence).
On the opposite side of the room is an area called
the Glacier Wall, a 30-ft.-wide wall featuring video
content of glaciers that is projection-mapped from
edge-to-edge with 4K projectors. This backdrop
highlights a display of interactive Snow Mantra
Parka jackets. Each jacket features five "hotspots"
that when touched cue content on the screen
describing a detail or feature. This capacitive touch
technology was a way to help educate customers
about the high quality and craftsmanship of the
products. This content helps reinforce the brand
identity and differentiates the luxury level of
the merchandise.
Next stop is the Gear Room, a space where
guests can prepare for their Cold Room adventure.
The room was given an industrial aesthetic with
a touch of intrigue. It provides a setting for brand
ambassadors to explain the Cold Room while storing belongings and selecting a Canada Goose coat
and accessories.
While the success of the Cold Room ignited this
retail concept, the team took the opportunity to
make advancements on this iconic experience. The
10-degree Fahrenheit room simulates Arctic conditions, including a daily snowfall, which allows
customers to test the Canada Goose proprietary
Thermal Experience Index (TEI), a rating scale that
ranks each coat from a lightweight 1 to a 5, meaning the coldest places on earth. The Cold Room has
a mirror on one side and two walls of projection
painted material. One of two Canada Goose original films is projected from the ceiling onto the two
walls, transporting guests into the breathtaking
landscape. The immersive environment captivates
and gives guests plenty of time to enjoy the moment, the product and, of course, take a few photos.
"With the snow on the ground and projected
content, it is an amazing audiovisual experience and pretty mind-blowing," Tyler says. "The
technical aspects of this space were incredibly
challenging. We spent a tremendous amount of
time with Digital Kitchen to make it work. There

3/17/20 3:16 PM

design:retail - March/April 2020

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