Combining my Passions

It is rare that I get the opportunity to combine my passion for Interior Design & Architecture with Yacht Racing but recently I became aware of just such an opportunity! One of the most exciting races, which is currently going on, is the Volvo Ocean Race. Starting in Alicante, Spain and finishing in St Petersberg Russia, this 11 stop 37,000 mile race will stop in Boston Massachusetts around the 27th of April (based on current race estimates) and there the PUMA City will make its American debut. This tour de force of architecture and design, a massive 11,000 sq ft retail space is made of 24 40' long steel shipping containers, represents the culmination of Puma's first foray into the racing world along with their boat il Mostro, skippered by American Ken Read.


Puma City was recently awarded as the Travel and Leisure 2009 Design Award winner for Best Retail Space in the magazine's March issue. The award recognizes standout design in 15 categories and was judged by such prestigious members of the design industry such as Calvin Klein and architect Adam D. Tihany.

The building was designed by the architects at LOT-EK who specialize in this very particular type of mobile spaces----both retail and residential. It is designed to be fully mobile for transportation on commercial shipping network and has already traveled from China to Spain and is now on its way to the Untied States. It is no small feat to design a building which can easily operate anywhere in the world and thus, the architects have even taken into account International Building Codes, dramatic climate changes, plug in electrical and HVAC systems in addition to ease of assembly and operations.


I am really excited to see this space in Boston this spring and hope that it may eventually arrive here in LA. Although UBER-Modern, I feel it is the future of design in many aspects of its conception and construction. In order to attract the upscale and sophisticated clientelle, retailers will have to bring more attention to the concepts of the presentation of their goods in addition to the goods themselves. And a bar and lounge in the space never hurts!