REI Seattle Flagship Store

The Climbing Pinnacle is not only an interactive feature but has become the icon of the Flagship Store.
Entry to the store is through a semi conditioned space with displays showing the history of REI, a welcome desk, and a view of the Climbing Pinnacle.
Conceived as an interpretation of a lodge or clubhouse, an honest expression of its structure and systems without excessive finishes in a dramatic day lit space.
Hearth, meeting place, center of the "clubhouse", built of handpicked stone from an inactive quarry
All customers enter the site through a lush landscape of native plants, an oasis from the urban context that decompresses and re-orients.

Pioneering Retail Experience

REI Seattle Flagship Store

Seattle, WA

Immersive Experience

Mithun assisted REI with the transition from its grassroots co-op beginnings to a world class retail experience. The building and landscape were crafted around the idea of an immersive user experience that challenged conventional approaches to retail design, and has catalyzed an urban revitalization in Seattle’s urban fabric.

Identity and Adventure

The building design honors REI’s humble roots through expressed northwest utilitarian materials and pioneering sustainability strategies, including daylight and stormwater harvesting. The store challenges and invites patrons with features including the freestanding indoor climbing pinnacle, and hiking and biking trails around the site.

Iconic Northwest Design

This store is a beloved destination for tourists as well as residents. It continues to be a timeless anchor in a rapidly evolving neighborhood – a place to shop, eat, learn or just hang out. A Seattle architectural icon, it quietly reinforces the regional cultural ethic of connecting people to nature.

Client

REI HQ

Overview

An immersive retail experience, instilling consumers with environmental values, a connection to nature and sense of adventure

Program

Store including five specialty retail areas for climbing, camping, skiing, paddling and cycling; interactive test areas; children’s play area; restaurant; parking garage

Size

80,000 sf

Completion Date

1996

Services

Architecture, Interior Design

Awards

AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award, 1999

Bonneville Power Administration, Architecture + Energy Award, 1998

Associated General Contractors of Washington Build Washington Awards, Construction Excellence Award, Buildings over $10 Million, 1997

AIA Portland Architecture + Energy Awards, Design Award for Architectural Concepts and Materials, 1997

AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Design Awards, Honor Award, 1997

Visual Merchandising and Store Design International Store Design Awards, Store of the Year, 1996

Chain Store Age, Retail Executive Magazine, Grand Award, Environmental Design Integration, 1996

AIA Seattle Honor Awards Program, Award of Merit, 1996

REI Denver Flagship Store Denver, CO +

Large Technology Company Retail Store Silicon Valley, CA +

Seattle Aquarium Seattle, WA +

Novelty Hill Januik Winery Woodinville, WA +

The Climbing Pinnacle is not only an interactive feature but has become the icon of the Flagship Store.

Entry to the store is through a semi conditioned space with displays showing the history of REI, a welcome desk, and a view of the Climbing Pinnacle.

Conceived as an interpretation of a lodge or clubhouse, an honest expression of its structure and systems without excessive finishes in a dramatic day lit space.

Hearth, meeting place, center of the "clubhouse", built of handpicked stone from an inactive quarry

All customers enter the site through a lush landscape of native plants, an oasis from the urban context that decompresses and re-orients.

Pioneering Retail Experience

REI Seattle Flagship Store