With the doors flying open, MAAP’s latest retail store of exposed architectural design promises to represent the ‘creative athletes’.
August 15th, 2001
Australian-born, with a creative spirit, MAAP embodies cycling as the sport itself and beyond. The label juggles the height of technical performance with a design aesthetic unparalleled in the industry, and its store is no different. With an MO of serving the creative athlete, MAAP has unveiled its inaugural concept store, set for Collingwood’s front door.
Founders Ollie Cousins and Jarred Smith have dreamt to ‘evolve the ride’, and MAAP LaB is the amalgamation of this. An acronym for ‘Life around Bikes’, MAAP LaB is the crossroads of ingenuity and cycling. And Clare Cousins Architects brought to life this masterpiece.
“Occupying a new development in the ex-industrial end of Collingwood, the flagship store wilfully expresses the raw characteristics of the building’s concrete and blockwork shell,” says Clare Cousins Architects founder and director Clare Cousins.
“Spatially, the store’s operations are defined by a robust yet highly finished steel perimeter. The assemblage conveys the atmosphere of a meticulous workshop – a place in which design, performance, and cycling converge to form a community.”
The store is the beating heart of the building, the exterior a sharp new development, and the interior mastering a balance between machined precision and material rawness. And the free-flowing design reflects MAAP’s ambition to represent the creativity of athletes — namely, the ingenuity of the innovative design behind cycling.
Expressing the building’s industrial nature, the raw characteristics define the space. A highly finished steel perimeter coalesces with a series of MAAP’s products that mimics a cyclist’s workshop. The project’s architectural forms and intrinsic design inspires lovers of cycling and design.
“The space had to be really experiential and immersive,” says Oliver Cousins, co-founder of MAAP. “We see a lot of buzz and conversation going down with our online community, and we can’t wait to bring people together to meaningfully connect in a physical space.
“As a vibrant alt-cultural hub in its own right, Collingwood is the perfect neighbourhood to realise that vision. Our MAAP crew can’t wait to welcome everyone into the store and share our passion for cycling over a coffee or beer.”
MAAP LaB finds the art within sport, and with Clare Cousins Architects, its design of sharp, material rawness is synonymous with the brand’s aesthetic.
Clare Cousins Architects
clarecousins.com
Photography
Dan Preston and Tim Harris
We think you might like this article about Bali Body’s new destination by design studio, Made For.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Paying homage to that wonderful tool of life, the book, SJK Architects’ design for the new headquarters of Penguin Random House is both a temple to the library and a captivating place to work.
Simon Liley, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Cundall, writes about how cyberpunk dystopias haven’t (quite) come to pass yet – and how designers can avoid them.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
An entry by MuseLAB, in The Retail Space in the 2024 INDE.Awards, takes shoppers to another planet where diamonds and great interior design make a lasting impression.
Focusing on facade and green design, this pair of office blocks is designed to meet the most contemporary demands of workplace design.
Simon Liley, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Cundall, writes about how cyberpunk dystopias haven’t (quite) come to pass yet – and how designers can avoid them.