Read Full Report

64
METROPOLIS
Last month, Macy's,
Wal-Mart, and Kmart all
announced cutbacks or
store closings, making
some commentators
wring their hands
about the future of the
industry. But the sector
is known for always
being i n a state of flux,
and there are signs
from around the world
that a new set of ideas
is about to revolutionize
retail. From in-store
laboratories to
neighborly nods, here
are 14 innovations
in the way we shop.
Ikea's laboratory
extension SpacelO
combines the gallerylike tranquilness of
a showroom with the
inventive frisson of
an art-and-crafts class,
FEBRUARY
2016
65
SETTING UP SHOP
Trial and Error
Brands are turning to the
experimental i n search of
an edge i n the retail market.
Fans of IKEA's S w e d i s h meatballs m i g h t n o t t h i n k t h e y need
t w e a k i n g . The creative t e a m at S p a c e l O , t h e f u r n i t u r e giant's
new innovation lab, t h o u g h t o t h e r w i s e , u s i n g t h o s e d e l e c t a b l e
morsels as a way t o imagine t h e f u t u r e of f o o d . In a n o t h e r
t h o u g h t e x p e r i m e n t , t h e same tinkerers w o n d e r e d h o w your
lawn m i g h t signal t h a t it's t h i r s t y for a s p r i n k l i n g and works h o p p e d several p r o t o t y p e s .
If c a l l i n g these science p r o j e c t s "IKEA hacks" is a s t r e t c h ,
t h a t ' s exactly t h e point. Launched in November and i n d e p e n d e n t ly run o u t of Copenhagen's m e a t p a c k i n g d i s t r i c t , SpacelO leverages IKEA's d o m i n a n c e in t h e d o m e s t i c sphere in service of a
broader mission: t o investigate " t h e f u t u r e of urban living t h r o u g h
a series of labs," says CEO and f o u n d e r Carla C a m m i l l a H j o r t .
Naturally, t h e notion of a laboratory m i g h t c o m e o f f as a
rather grandiose c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n of w h a t is essentially a satellite retail space, b u t t h e m e t a p h o r nicely evokes a c e r t a i n
a t t i t u d e t o w a r d an inventive use of space and p r o g r a m m i n g
sensibility. Today, it isn't very far-fetched f o r a b r a n d t o a d o p t
a semi-scientific m e t h o d , at least in t e r m s of e x p e r i m e n t i n g w i t h
a l t e r n a t i v e models of i m m e r s i v e e n v i r o n m e n t a l d e s i g n . Spect a c u l a r w i n d o w d i s p l a y s - w h i c h have t h e i r origins in t h e 19th
c e n t u r y - a r e no l o n g e r g o i n g t o c u t i t : T h e rise of e-commerce
has sparked a r e n e w e d focus on physical e m p o r i u m s .
In S e a t t l e , S t a r b u c k s has enjoyed a positive response t o its
1 II 11 H
-
11 1
u
*
SPACE 10
_
»
METROPOLIS
I
ft-
5
Left: Last November,
IKEA opened SpacelO,
an autonomous innovation lab, in Copenhagen.
Above: The space,
designed by Danish
studio Spacon & X, is a
venue for workshops anc
the staging of "hacks,"
which often incorporate
IKEAflatpacks.
1
Or v i
Above: The aftermath
of a SpacelO workshop
brainstorming session.
Below: The interiors are
divided into zones that
can be closed off by
sliding partition walls.
Opposite: The "rollerboy"
is an example of the kind
of hacking activity that
SpacelO encourages.
The mobile cart, made
up of various furniture
components, frames
a vibrant arrangement
of plants to create a DIY
air-filtering system.
1
b l o c k b u s t e r i n c u b a t o r in t h e city's Capitol Hill n e i g h b o r h o o d .
The S t a r b u c k s R e s e r v e Roastery & Tasting Room o p e n e d
j u s t over a year ago and represents f o u n d e r H o w a r d Schultz's
vision of a v e r i t a b l e t e m p l e of c o f f e e . Frequently likened t o
Willy Wonka's c h o c o l a t e f a c t o r y , t h e roastery p u t s an educat i o n a l spin on a public p r o d u c t i o n f a c i l i t y , s h o w c a s i n g t h e
process behind t h e p r o d u c t on t h e scale of silo and c u p p a alike.
Reebok's FitHubs seem j u s t as natural a d e v e l o p m e n t
as f l a t p a c k hacks and cafe-fueled s p e c t a c l e w e r e for IKEA and
Starbucks, respectively. Developed in c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h design
c o n s u l t a n c y Ziba, t h e first F i t H u b o p e n e d in N e w York C i t y in
2012, and t h e store-cum-Crossfit g y m has since e x p a n d e d t o
4 0 0 locations w o r l d w i d e . As a spatial m a n i f e s t a t i o n of Reebok's
l o n g t i m e c o m m i t m e n t t o p r o m o t i n g personal f i t n e s s , t h e F i t H u b
strives for longevity, simultaneously h a r k i n g back t o t h e sneaker
brand's ' 8 0 s - ' 9 0 s heyday and o f f e r i n g p l e n t y of p o t e n t i a l for
f u t u r e incarnations. Says Reebok g l o b a l e n v i r o n m e n t a l designer
Charles Gates, "The c o n c e p t o f pairing a c t i v i t i e s - i n t h i s case,
personal f i t n e s s - w i t h retail has proven t o drive sales and
a d d i t i o n a l f o o t s t e p s t h r o u g h t h e door."
This is precisely w h y t h e s e retail labs are more t h a n j u s t
i n h a b i t a b l e billboards ( t h a t b e i n g j u s t o n e of t h e i r r o l e s ) - t h e y ' r e
venues for t e s t i n g hypotheses, as o p p o s e d t o users or even sole
p r o d u c t s . "We believe i t is very i m p o r t a n t t o make innovation
open and inclusive," says SpacelO's Hjort of t h e p o t e n t i a l of similar
retail p l a t f o r m s . "Way t o o o f t e n , innovation is s o m e t h i n g t h a t
happens behind closed doors, b u t if w e really w a n t t o make t h e
w o r l d a b e t t e r place, w e need t o w o r k t o g e t h e r . " -Raymond Hu
68
METROPOLIS