Singapore’s first immersive ultra-performance sports store - English Version || English

Singapore’s first immersive ultra-performance sports store // English Version

Singapore’s first immersive ultra-performance sports store in Jewel Changi Airport
Brand Strategy + Interior + Signage + Graphic by Ministry of Design
183sqm | Singapore | Built 2019


$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

Officially open to the public from 17 April 2019, located in the newest mall in Singapore: the iconic Jewel Changi Airport by Safdie Architects, we created a new-to-market brand, designed the interiors and graphics for an experiential and immersive ultra-performance sports store
named “Durasport”. Targeting a growing but relatively untapped market segment: the ‘ultra-performance’ athlete & sporting enthusiast, Durasport provides hands-on experiential zones for serious cyclists, skiers, climbers and triathletes, allowing them to sample and test the sportswear or equipment before they purchase them. Products were co-curated by MOD and the client, and include the world’s first graphene bicycle [i.e. a form of carbon that's lighter than paper but 200 times stronger than steel, by Dassi, UK], the world’s lightest folding bicycle [Hummingbird, UK], heat-mouldable customized cycling shoes [DL KILLER, Italy], wet suits which minimize stretch resistance and maximise flexibility [Zone3, UK], adjustable alpine ski boots that provide flexibility for scaling uphill slopes and rigidity for downhill skiing [DYNAFIT, Italy] and a power breather for swimmers [Ameo, Germany] which enhances lap times.


$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

Not only can athletes purchase these ultra-performance gear all in one place to “up their game”, they can also test them in the store, using 5 simulators in the store, all of which are firsts in Singapore.

1. First in Singapore to carry this, Durasport features “Pro Ski 360 Simulator”, a completely immersive ski simulator featuring Downhill mythical slopes, Freeride, and Slalom [Parallel] ski options. Strap on the Dynafit ski boots and see if you can beat the fastest time logged.

2. Also a first in Singapore, the “Freedom Climber” is an indoor interactive non-motorized climbing wall with a rotating surface to simulate climbing without height risks, test your climbing shoes here!

3. Exclusive to Durasport, the “Magic Mirror” allows customers to “try on” ski clothing and email photos to themselves, without physically putting on the ski outfits.

4. Test the flexibility of the Zone3wetsuit and your stroke technique on the the “Vasa Swim Trainer Pro” swim bench.

5. Another first in Singapore, you can test the S$30,000 Dassi bicycle on the “Nero Elite Interactive” cycling trainer rollers. Linked with an ipad and Zwift software, this interactive cycling trainer offers 2 flywheels to simulate various slope gradients and cycling experiences.

Durasport is the 2nd store we’ve designed for our client Durasafe, and the question we asked is,
'‘How do we make a brick and mortar sports store relevant in the 21st century? In a mature retail market like Singapore where online shopping is prevalent and there is no shortage of established multi-label sports stores, we analysed the sporting goods market as well as our client’s existing brand and product inventory, and eventually identified a market segment that at present remains relatively untapped: the ‘ultra-performance’' athlete & sporting enthusiast. Once these critical positioning and brand decisions were made, they became the project’s “North Star”, referred to and applied downstream to the choice of brands and products to carry, user experience journey, spatial planning, 3D form exploration, material and lighting selection, display system design, brand name, logo and collaterals, and overarching visual identity.


$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

Durasport’s facade is designed to appear as if in dynamic motion, conveying a sense of active, ultra-high performance sporting activities. Tectonically, high-grade stainless steel is used in a disciplined and cohesive manner as the primary spatial material: an intentional reference to the typical laboratory R&D [research & development] environment in which the store’s innovative and high performance products would have been developed. Specially designed to showcase Durasport’s varied merchandise across 4 key sports, the customized display system allows for extended flexibility across the product & size range. Shelves, racks or holders clip in and out of notched display walls and incorporate an integrated LED lighting system. Rounding off Durasport’s holistic brand experience, MOD has also conceived the brand name, and designed the logo and collaterals such as the carrier bags, name cards, letterheads, envelopes, and internal signage to reflect the brand’s essential qualities: dynamism, innovation and ultra-high sporting performance.


$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks


$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

$3>CI&A Photography, Edward Hendricks

About Ministry of Design
Ministry of Design is an integrated architectural, interior design and branding firm that has won Singapore’s President Design Award twice, New York’s Gold Key Award thrice, and named “Designer of the Year” by International Design Awards [USA], and been featured in Wallpaper, Frame and Surface. Created by Colin Seah to question convention and redefine the spaces, forms and experiences that surround us, MOD’s explorations are created amidst a democratic studio-like’ atmosphere and progress seamlessly between form, site, object and space. At MOD, we provide our clients services that transcend mere design skill sets or technical prowess. We prefer to start far upstream and instead of merely designing solutions, we design holistic experiences. The resultant design thinking then translates into a wide variety of possible downstream design applications and media: be it architecture, product design, interior architecture, branding, graphics, landscape or even the weaving of diverse disciplines into a single project.