The umdasch General Contracting team won the project work early in 2021 and took over three adjacent units that had been operated by Stone Island owner Four Marketing as client and paymaster.
The project was to deliver the flagship design, which features a natural stone floor manufactured off-site in Italy, distinctive fixtures for clothing and an urban style back wall behind the cash desk, which wraps round and flows to the changing rooms.
Originally, the stone flooring was to be installed by the Italian manufacturer, but COVID restrictions meant the team could not travel and therefore the umdasch team fitted what head of General Contracting UK, Mike Smart, says was akin to assembling a large, ultra-precise jigsaw puzzle.
“I have never worked on a scheme that required such complete precision,” he recalls. “We were managing a range of suppliers, plus manufacturing some of the display equipment, and because major elements were made off-site they had to be absolutely correct to the millimetre. Therefore, the preparation was critical, because if that had been wrong the whole project would have been off.”
The result is a double-fronted store with an urban vibe, offset by natural materials and low level lighting, with clever use of suspended fittings and wraparound mesh detailing that links the back wall, cash desk and fitting rooms at the rear of the outlet.
