Puma City wins Travel + Leisure 2009 'best retail space' award

A unique retail space on the ground floor offers a selection of the Puma sailing, motorsport, urban mobility and archives apparel, footwear and accessories collections.

As the official supplier of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, a nine-month around-the-world sailboat race that makes stopovers in 11 cities across the globe, the retail space on the second floor features the entire Volvo Ocean Race collection, which is the only location where those products can be purchased in the race village. The upper container is a long, open area containing a bar, lounge and event space spilling out onto an oversized wooden deck. This area is used for concerts, parties and other events where all race goers are welcome.

Designed to be a mobile unit, Puma City has been shipped via cargo ship from China to Spain and finally to the United States and doesn't plan stopping there.

It debuted in Alicante, Spain on 19 September 2008 for the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, in which Puma's Ocean Racing team currently holds second place.

Recognising innovative design

The Travel + Leisure 2009 Design Awards recognises standout design in 15 categories, including hotels, restaurants, fashion, and luggage. All winners are featured on www.travelandleisure.com and in Travel + Leisure's March issue. The winners were selected by a panel of judges, including designer Calvin Klein and architect Adam D. Tihany. The award ceremony took place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Florida, USA.

“We are thrilled that Travel + Leisure has recognised Puma City with this distinguished award," says Antonio Bertone, the lifestyle brand's CMO. “[The City] was created as a testament to Puma's creativity as a brand, its support of the Puma Ocean Racing team and the commitment to the spirit of the Volvo Ocean Race.”

Conception to construction

The timeline from conception, to design, to construction was completed in just eight months. The internationally acclaimed architecture office of LOT-EK designed the building as a modular system to ship as a conventional cargo container anywhere in the world. A unique system of covering panels were designed to fully seal all of the actual structures during travel, protecting each unit from the elements while crossing the open ocean.

Once the structure reaches land these panels are removed and connected together forming the open interior spaces. This is the first building of its kind to fully take advantage of the global shipping network already in place and is the first container building of its size to be truly mobile. It is also designed to respond to all of the architectural challenges; meeting international building code, withstanding dramatic climate changes, rapid on-site assembly, and handling day-to-day operations.

Puma City will be in constructed at Fan Pier in Boston for the Volvo Ocean Race US stop over beginning 26 April 2009 and will be open through the middle of May.