Global architecture and design firm Morphosis will design a new corporate home for lululemon, the healthy lifestyle-inspired athletic apparel retailer in Vancouver, British Columbia. The future space, also known as the Store Support Centre, will serve as the main office for lululemon’s global headquarters. Morphosis will collaborate with L.A.-based architecture and interior design firm Clive Wilkinson Architects and Vancouver-based Francl Architecture for the project.
Morphosis’ commitment to creating transformational experiences that inspire growth, creativity, and empowerment aligns with lululemon’s purpose to elevate the world by unleashing the full potential within every one of us. Morphosis will draw on their expertise of developing visionary, research-driven projects rooted in environmental, social, and economic sustainability to design a building that will serve as an extension of the core values of the brand itself.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with lululemon on this project and joining them at an important time in the evolution of the company,” said Morphosis founder and design director Thom Mayne. “The guiding principles behind Morphosis, including innovation, wellness, and sustainability, resonate with lululemon’s values. This is an exciting project to create a lasting impact on all current and future lululemon employees,” added Partner and Project Principal Arne Emerson.
The design for the 13-story Store Support Centre creates strong connections between the building and its site, landscape, and community, with exterior and interior spaces that encourage collaboration and innovation. The exterior façade will feature a high-performance brise-soleil system that limits solar heat gain to reduce energy consumption and to modulate the interior building climate for occupants, while also opening views of the surrounding environment.
Rendering courtesy of Morphosis
The design aims to promote health and wellness, by including ample access to daylight, green spaces, and landscaped terraces that strengthen connections to the exterior. Internally, the office floors are organized around a full-height central atrium that delivers light deep into the center of the building. The atrium serves as the social and cultural heart of the building, with stairs that wrap around the atrium to connect each level, and a central gathering space for employees. At the street level, the ground floor of the building is activated by a public plaza, retail space, and art along Great Northern Way to further enhance connections to the surrounding neighborhood.
“We are incredibly excited about the next chapter of our story both globally and in our hometown of Vancouver. Our new Store Support Centre will allow us to consolidate our offices and retain, attract, and grow our talent as we deliver on our strategic growth plans,” said Susan Gelinas, SVP, People & Culture, lululemon.
Led by Morphosis, the design team includes Clive Wilkinson Architects who will guide the strategy for the interior workspaces, lending their expertise in workplace practices and organizational communication and culture. Vancouver-based Lead Architect Francl Architecture will employ their passion for building in the city of Vancouver to ensure a smooth delivery process. Finally, sustainability and wellness consultant Integral’s holistic and evidence-based approach will inform the creation of a highly sustainable building.
About Morphosis
Morphosis is a global architecture and design firm, creating compelling work that is intelligent, pragmatic, and powerful. For more than 40 years, Morphosis has practiced at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and design, working across a broad range of project types and scales, including civic, academic, cultural, commercial, residential, and mixed-use; urban master plans; and original publications, objects, and art. Committed to the practice of architecture as a collaborative enterprise, founder and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne works in tandem with partners Arne Emerson,
Ung-Joo Scott Lee, Brandon Welling, and Eui-Sung Yi, and a team of more than 75 in Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai, and Seoul. At the root of all Morphosis projects is a focus on rigorous research and innovation, prioritizing performance-driven design that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Through its research arm, The Now Institute, the firm collaborates with academic institutions to create design-based solutions for the pressing issues of the day, from mobility, urban revitalization, and sustainability to public policy, planning, and community outreach. For more information, visit www.morphosis.com.
About lululemon
lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) is a healthy lifestyle-inspired athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, creating transformational products and experiences which enable people to live a life they love. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional designs, lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities for continuous research and product feedback. For more information, visit www.lululemon.com.
