2004 Retail Design
Award Winners Fixture of the Year
Fixture of the Year Is More Than Just
a Fixture
Futuretronics:
Display Pod Grouping
Mall of Millenia, Orlando, Fla. Architecture
Miroglio Architecture & Design, Oakland, Calif. Design Miroglio Architecture &
Design, Oakland, Calif. Fixtures Moz Designs, Oakland,
Calif. General Contracting Andrew Maxx,
Westerville, Ohio Photography Joel Gardner Photography,
Berkeley, Calif. Retailer Futuretronics, Houston
The fixtures in this year’s “Fixture
of the Year” Display Pod Grouping are the
interior of the store and are themselves machines
for displaying high-end consumer electronic devices.
With the glass pod vitrine display fixtures serving
as the graphic identity of the store, the rest of
the project was essentially a receptacle for the
fixtures. The fixtures feature flexible display
shelves projecting from clear acrylic poles that
extend out of a glowing resin base, all within a
10-ft.-tall glass enclosure. The vitrine fixtures
are supplied with power and data/communication cables
to facilitate uncluttered, 360-degree merchandising
of the electronic devices.
The storefront is simply an extension of the interior,
so the fixtures are the storefront, blurring the
distinction between inside and outside. Because
of their size and weight, the fixtures had to be
fabricated in a modular fashion. The products’
enormous wire-handling needs were met with wiring
carefully fit into the supply poles. The lighted
bases required careful construction to minimize
joints and provide adequate concealed ventilation.
The variety of materials—resin sheet, aluminum,
stainless steel, acrylic, and glass—necessitated
a great variety of connection details. Two stores
are currently using this prototype design.
