Patagonia Vancouver

Patagonia’s first store in Vancouver brings a heavy timber warehouse back to its roots.  The design embraces the warehouse’s original features including its stepped floor, loading bays and concrete slab.  Since its time as a warehouse the structure had been significantly altered for retail use, but Patagonia wished to turn back the clock and restore the structure.

The original concrete floor was polished leaving the historic imperfections visible, the wood frame was sandblasted and reinforced with seismic steel to meet current building code.  A heavy timber and steel stair off the landing defines the entrance to the store.  Larger operable windows were installed to allow for natural ventilation. 

The existing exterior wall facing Maple Street was reclad in corten steel shingles, custom designed and fabricated to reinforce the industrial spirit of the building.  Additionally, weather protection was added in the form of a new canopy of raw steel that folds down, transitioning into blade signage viewable by pedestrian traffic.