Yishio Kuo, Design Director and Senior Associate at Gensler, and Vince Flickinger, Energy Leader, Design Director and Principal at Gensler, share their perspectives on the design of Slalom’s new permanent showroom in Chicago, the evolving role of acoustics in architecture, and the importance of creating spaces that support human connection and well-being.
Can you walk us through the different phases of Slalom’s Chicago showroom project and the design process that led to the final result?
Yishio Kuo: Slalom approached us for assistance with this major milestone. From a design perspective, once we understood what the space was and what the showroom could potentially become, we developed an initial concept for the team, thinking about creating a series of chambers, almost like a garden landscape, where there are different moments of discovery in order to show the possibilities of how Slalom’s products can be used and experienced within a space.
Vince Flickinger: As the project developed, the design evolved with it, and we moved towards something that was almost like a gallery. A garden moves more slowly: you can change the planting, and things have time to mature. The gallery, instead, gave us a more dynamic and flexible framework — one that could evolve alongside the products and the way Slalom wanted to present them. The beautiful part of the design was that it was able to evolve through the collaboration between Gensler and Slalom. The ability of the teams to exchange ideas and shape the space together was quite impressive. The story really started years ago, when we first discovered Slalom and the beginning of the trust and conversation started. It wasn’t just one person connecting with one person — it was many people making connections. Over the years, Slalom and Gensler have partnered on projects of varying size and scope, and our strong working relationship served as a foundation for a more strategic vision for the space – where the products could really take centre stage. The showroom became less about a fixed sequence of rooms and more about creating an open, flexible experience that could evolve with Slalom and the way the brand wants to engage with people.
YK: As designers, we are naturally excited about the opportunity to design and realize a vision for our clients, but ultimately, it is about the relationship too. We created a white canvas that became a gallery, allowing ideas to change and evolve within the room. Sustainability was also an important consideration: we kept a lot of the existing elements, and we felt that this aligned with what Slalom is about. Among the different location options, Slalom chose this one because of the window. The idea of having that human connection to light was very important. So we created this white box to allow ideas to flourish, to allow the products to be highlighted, to reflect the light and to provide flexibility. Slalom is a story that continues to evolve, therefore the idea of a gallery that has no fixed definition — a space in continuous evolution — felt really ideal. It is a space that can help promote the evolution of the products and showcase them in different ways. In a way, it went from a very definitive idea to one that is still defined, but allows for many different opportunities.
VF: We were trying to tell a story, and we ended up creating a chapter of the story. So this space allows us to tell different chapters of the same story, and what’s nice is that the story evolves as the space changes. We could see the evolution of the products and ideas happening in a very short time as we were designing the space, and we realised that it had to be something that evolves. The thing that struck me the most was at the opening of the space, when I saw the excitement of all the representatives seeing everything. The reason why the space is so needed and valued is because Slalom has a team of representatives who were so excited to see the space, excited to give a density to the products that they represent. It was about bringing the Slalom community to the US.
YK: In some ways, turning the space into a white box preserving a lot of the existing architecture, was also a way of honouring the story of Slalom’s evolution this year: the launch of products with a dynamic energy, as well as the new colour collection designed by Teklan; being able to show small versus larger, together with the colour opportunities that can be part of a product — all these aspects set the mood for the space. The uplifting colours of this year’s collections make it a very cheerful space, connecting people. You feel happy, and the community was so joyful!
Slalom designs acoustic solutions, and recent global market studies indicate that North America is becoming one of the key markets for acoustic design. The opening of its permanent showroom in Chicago marks an important step in Slalom’s growing presence in the US market. In your view, what role does acoustics play in architecture today, and how has its importance evolved over time, both in workplace and hospitality environments?
YK: Most of the hospitality industry is all about human connection. I think communication is key, and in a world where we communicate through devices, those moments of getting together become very precious. And yet, a lot of the time there is noise. So having components that support the meeting of people, experiencing different things — architecture, volume, the systems that we clad architecture with, even using colours to create different vibes or moods — becomes important. And also, acoustics. You want to have an expansion of spaces so that you have these moments of connections that are weaved into the environment. For example, in a workplace or even in a hotel, acoustics become very important. Fifteen years ago, it was all about performance. But now it’s more sensitive. You need to perform, but it also needs to be more than that. It needs to be a beautiful cladding that appeals to the eye and the senses. Acoustics is a huge thing, whether in a small focus room or a larger meeting room for people to congregate. It’s something that we must consider nowadays.
At Slalom, the focus is on collaborating with architects and designers to create human-centred environments that support the well-being of the people who inhabit, visit or work in them every day—an approach we also see reflected in Gensler’s work. From your perspective, how are changing ways of working and interacting with spaces affecting our understanding of well-being today? And what role do you see acoustics and flexibility playing in creating environments that can respond to different individual needs?
VF: Acoustics becomes so much more. Think about it: we used to meet in a room with people talking with us. Now we’re sitting in an open meeting with people from all over the world, talking at the same time virtually. The other thing is AI. When you have AI agents involved, and everyone is talking to their agent but not necessarily to each other, acoustics is going to be very important, because we have to balance the amount of energy that people feel, while managing individuals’ ability to perform at a certain energy level. Acoustic boundaries are very different for each individual. Some can work with noise, but others need complete silence. So how do we create spaces that are enjoyable for all, especially when thinking about universal design? It’s not so much about which individual space encompasses the most amount of people, but it’s about those additional spaces where people can feel comfortable migrating to. Some people might be fine in a space all day; some might need to move around. It’s not just a workplace issue. Large environments like restaurants have struggled with proper acoustics for years and sound is always a tricky thing. We’re stepping into another evolution of how the world is going to be, having partners that allow us to design spaces that we can get as right as we possibly can. But knowing that we’re not perfect allows us to come back and make some cost-effective adjustments, in order to deliver spaces that not only look beautiful and make people feel like they’re part of it but perform in ways they never had in the past. We can make our best assumptions and predictions, but until we get into the space, we don’t know exactly how it will perform. And that’s what I think is interesting about this next step: the idea of acoustics going beyond performance and aesthetics, and becoming part of how people actually experience and feel in a space.
Gensler has played a key role in shaping a wide range of spaces within The Mart. What makes this building and its role within Chicago’s design community so significant? And how do you see The Mart evolving as both established and new brands become part of this design community?
YK: It is such an iconic building in Chicago. For many years, it has been a gathering place for the industry, where manufacturers have their showrooms centrally located and accessible. We talked about how it is evolving, with some people moving out, but also new people coming in. I feel it is so good that a Made in Italy brand like Slalom picked this location because, when you think of being part of a bigger picture, with all the industries together, it has a collective voice. There are not many places that allow so many entities to be in such a concentrated area, supporting architecture and design. It is about the relationships and experiences of drawing people together to learn about the different stories. Those relationships are also protecting the building. With the future stories that will continue to happen in its showroom, Slalom’s white box honours those values.
VF: It’s like coming home. It’s familiar — you know where everyone is. It’s a wonderful opportunity to also meet smaller companies and to be part of that community. It’s a safe space where you can run into people and have amazing conversations. The Mart has had to rethink itself. A couple of years ago, companies left, and there was a bigger shift when some of the big brands left and some stayed. And now there are new realities coming in. It continues to evolve, and I think that is part of what makes The Mart so special.
