Just Do It

This 11,000-square-foot office and showroom space for Nike is located in the Colonnade to serve wholesale customers who are major retailers of sporting goods, shoes and clothing.

Despite Nike’s rank as one of the best known and recognized global brands, its showroom space in Birmingham has a decidedly local feel in its design.

The interiors of the space features materials unique to central Alabama incorporating blue mill scale steel, Sylacauga marble, and even locally recycled gym flooring and bleachers throughout the showroom.

Williams Blackstock Architects used the materials in such a way that echoes the story of Nike itself. The design also plays off the very notion of the “Just Do It” legacy of Nike’s mission of outfitting and inspiring athletes. Within the space, the rustic and raw Alabama marble and blue mill scale steel transitions to more polished and finished materials. This, according to Williams Blackstock symbolizes the shaping of a finely tuned athlete through inspiration and innovation, hard work, practice, and technique.

A thick wall of blue mill scale patterned steel sheet wraps the lobby with clear butt jointed glass. The existing concrete ceiling is left exposed, while the existing concrete floors were polished to complement the rustic exposed ceiling.

The showrooms for retail products align along the exterior, creating a collaboration area for sales representatives and customers. Environmental graphics complement the interior and promote the corporate branding of the company. ∞