SIGMA Space

Minimal retail gallery uniting precision, craft, and art.  “Overall, a highly successful and elegant project that thoughtfully mirrors the brand's identity and philosophy.”, Emma Holt, WIN Awards Judge.

Conceived as a retail gallery for SIGMA in Shanghai, SIGMA Space sets out to express the brand's philosophy of ‘beyond the technology, is art’ while guiding customers through a clear, memorable journey. The interior is organised into three linked narratives: The Ways of Being, The Ways of Crafting, and The Ways of Seeing, each framing a distinct stage of encounter from welcome, to hands-on understanding, to contemplation. This tri-zonal approach addresses a common retail challenge: how to balance product clarity, brand storytelling, and atmosphere without distraction. The result is a composed environment that invites slower looking and careful testing, aligning with SIGMA's Aizu factory heritage and its insistence on precision and artistry.

Execution is deliberately restrained. A transparent repair room sits at the front of house, making technical care visible and building trust through open craft. Behind it, a floor to ceiling lens wall uses triangular columns and customised bayonet adapters to trace SIGMA's optical lineage across Contemporary, Art, Sports, and Cine series. A limestone plinth, fossil flecked and weathered, anchors the narrative of longevity. Environmental performance is addressed through an external north facade shading system that tempers light and privacy for the gallery, paired with Kvadrat's acoustic wall system for seamless, sound absorbing surfaces. Subtle gestures, including the play of shadows from a single tree, lend softness without diluting the minimal intent.

These choices engineer a calm, confident customer experience, clarifying circulation while inviting close inspection of products and processes. The open repair interface lowers barriers between brand and visitor, and the sequential zones choreograph movement from brand ethos to material craft to artistic output. Judges praised the precision, craftsmanship and quiet confidence of the scheme, noting key moments such as the lens display wall and visible inspection area. The judges recognised this projects as an elegant, highly organised space that mirrors SIGMA's identity and elevates the independent retail model with museum grade clarity.

The judges said: “Beautifully crafted spaces that reflect the core qualities of SIGMA's camera lenses-precision, functionality, and artistry.” “A clean, minimal, and beautifully detailed design that reflects the brand's focus on precision and craftsmanship.” “The idea of three zones is great.” “a quiet confidence rather than an overt statement.”