Architecture practice Oshinowo Studio has completed a store for Adidas in Lagos, Nigeria, which is the sportswear brand's first flagship store in West Africa.
Located in the Victoria Island business district of Lagos, the store was created by Oshinowo Studio – formerly known as CmDesign Atelier – to be a blend of Nigerian aesthetics and Adidas' global brand identity.
"In line with the monolith simplicity emblematic of our practice aesthetic, we referenced the humble corrugated roofing sheets widely used across the city but most notably in the floating community Makoko on the Lagos lagoon," said Oshinowo Studio founder Tosin Oshinowo.
"We felt drawing a local and global narrative for this project was essential, acknowledging the city's thriving upcycling and reuse culture," she told Dezeen.
The 380-square-metre shop is Adidas' first flagship store in West Africa. It occupies a 1970s concrete building that was extended with a steel and glass addition.
The street-facing facades of both structures are wrapped in corrugated aluminium sheets that are often used as roofing in the city.
"The facade is the unifying factor between old and new," said Oshinowo.
"The solid corrugation screens the 1970s concrete structure, while the perforated corrugation clads the extension constructed in steel with a glass curtain facade," she continued.
"The perforations have a transparency of 45 to 50 per cent at a viewing distance of nine metres, allowing for consistency across the facade while functioning as a shop window and providing ample natural light for the interior."
The facade can be illuminated with several strips of LED lighting.
"LED linear lighting illuminates adjacent to the ridges of the corrugated sheets to create a dynamic illusion with interactive properties," explained Oshinowo.
"Using simple, functional materials makes a vibrant, unexpected ensemble that celebrates the city's culture, creativity and regeneration."
The original building, which was initially built as a house and then converted into a bank in the 1990s, now contains the store's back-of-house areas.
Alongside it, the addition contains the main, two-storey shop.
Alongside the store, Oshinowo Studio created a half basketball court and a courtyard space that were both painted by Nigerian graffiti artist Osa Okunkpolor.
As a further nod towards Nigerian creativity, artworks by Ayoola Gbolahan decorate the interior and local materials are used for the furniture.
Renamed from CmDesign Atelier this year, the studio has previously created a minimal beach house on Lagos peninsula and a "solid and porous" villa in Lagos.
Oshinowo is curating the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, which takes place later this year.
The photography is by Tolu Sanusi.
Project credits:
Architect: Oshinowo Studio
Interior design and fit-out: Adidas