POLO Ralph Lauren
730 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago

Retail Store
25,000 SF
Project

PROGRAM In contrast to its usual presence as a boutique within a larger store or shopping mall, the client intended to occupy a separate new building for the first time outside New York City. The schematic design requirements for the interior spaces were relatively relaxed, since the primary aims at this early stage were to create a public image for the new building’s facades and to define the primary circulation routes.

EXISTING CONDITIONS The site, at the corner of Michigan and Chicago Avenues, was to be constructed as part of a larger multi-use development which included a high-rise hotel and numerous other street-level tenants. Design restrictions included a previously defined structural grid.

DESIGN SOLUTION As with the New York City store, a crisp and modern expression characterizes the architecture of the Chicago store. On the exterior, primary consideration was given to the creation of a building which supports street activity while selectively revealing activity within. To this aim, the main entry was placed at the corner, with large display windows lining the flanking sidewalks. Overhanging and sheltering the corner entry, a three-story monumental stair with a full-height glass wall allows views both into and away from the store. The adjacent main building volume is defined by full-height limestone piers, which flank display windows at street level.

Interior spaces within the store are anchored by the main stair and circulation at one end and by a two-story atrium in the main merchandise area. The varying sizes and shapes of the floors are unified by a consistent circulation pattern and by placing cashwraps in the same central location on each level. Irregularities in the pre-existing structural grid are masked by judicious placement of full-height walls and cabinets, creating a layering of symmetrically placed areas within which variations of decor and display can occur.