On Running Rock, Zurich
Developed in 2022 for the ON Running flagship store in Zurich, this project marks the beginning of a global collaboration based on shared visions of material philosophy and experimental design. The studio was commissioned to create an installation that could translate the brand's foundational myth—a granite boulder in the Swiss Alps where its three founders first conceived the company—into a high-tech, immersive retail environment.
The design team conceptualized the Zurich Sound System as a "sonic rock" that bridges the materiality of the Swiss mountains with the technological laboratory of the store. Utilizing advanced 3D scanning and printing technology, the studio replicated the organic volume of the original foundational rock. The piece serves as a conversation starter, deconstructing and redefining the brand’s own apparel and shoe textures into a rugged, rock-like surface that embodies both heritage and future-facing sustainable thinking.
Technically, the installation is a sophisticated acoustic tool designed to provide a 360-degree sensory experience. Key technical features include:
Immersive Soundscape: The system plays a 24-hour, 360-degree spatial recording captured in the original environment surrounding the foundational rock in the Alps, bringing the literal sound of the brand's birthplace to the city.
360-degree Audio Integration: A custom-engineered speaker array integrated within the 3D-printed structure to ensure a seamless and omnidirectional sound field.
Material Hybridization: A 2.5-meter-long installation that challenges 3D printing boundaries by merging digital fabrication with textures derived from ON’s technical textiles.
As part of a series of global interventions (including subsequent stores in London and Miami), the Zurich Sound System exemplifies the studio’s ability to merge storytelling with complex engineering. By transforming a geological symbol into a functional audio device, the team created a "totem" that grounds the brand's technological research in its natural roots, proving that retail spaces can offer deep, multi-sensory narratives through innovative design.