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

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