Adidas

A name that needs no introduction, Adidas claimed this year’s Client of the Year award for its inspirational and engaging spaces, unique brand experiences and collaborative initiatives. The brand aims to bring to life its mantra – ‘Through sport, we have the power to change lives’ – in experimental retail spaces that look to the future while keeping sport at their heart.

Adidas sees every new project as an opportunity to test and learn. From creating its most sustainable store to date, in Munich, to installing a plant-based air-purifying system in Berlin, to creating an ever-evolving gallery in Tokyo’s Harajuku, the brand considers its retail spaces to be playing fields to inspire and engage.

Many of these goals were acknowledged by the jury. ‘All Adidas’s projects clearly transfer the brand’s roots in sports,’ said Sabine Krieg, deputy professor of retail design at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf. ‘Its spaces are very inspirational and engage customers at all touchpoint levels.’

Beyond Disciplines cofounder and creative director Christian Lungershausen touched on Adidas’s approach to key interior issues such as flexibility, accessibility and locality. He pointed out the spaces’ ceiling rail systems that facilitate future use, their clear wayfinding and their relationship to their local context.

One thing the jury missed, though, was more explicit engagement with sustainability. As Epistle founder Tanya Khanna said: ‘It would be wonderful to see how Adidas has leveraged its role as a leading international brand to make a larger impact on the built environment.’ adidas-group.com