Customers visiting the brand new Lululemon flagship retailer in SoHo may discover one thing new and unique after they sit down. The benches contained in the house weren’t carved from wooden or molded from plastic within the conventional means. As a substitute, they had been 3D printed.
The customized benches had been created by Decibel Constructed, a studio centered on sustainable, large-scale printed furnishings and architectural parts. The items had been printed utilizing Caracol’s Heron 300, a robotic large-format additive manufacturing system. The result’s furnishings that feels robust however remains to be delicate to the contact, with a floor that appears a bit like cloth.
Along with the benches, Decibel additionally produced its proprietary BranchClad furnishings and a printed shroud for the house, additional integrating large-format 3D printing into the shop’s inside design.
The Lululemon location at 524 Broadway, situated on the nook of Spring Avenue in SoHo and inaugurated in late 2025, is designed to be greater than a retail house. The shop consists of digital parts, community-focused programming, and design options meant to create a stronger in-person expertise.
Lululemon has described the SoHo retailer as a mannequin or template for future areas. Which means design particulars just like the benches are usually not simply seating, however a part of the model’s identification contained in the house.
Decibel built-in Lululemon’s emblem motif immediately into the 3D printing toolpath. As a substitute of making use of branding afterward, the sample is constructed into the construction itself. The printed floor has a textile-like high quality, described as a refined nod to the corporate’s roots in athletic attire.
Lululemon SoHo flagship retailer. Picture courtesy of Lululemon.
The benches had been printed from a bio-based plastic strengthened with plant fibers. And at present, this selection of fabric is essential, particularly contemplating that large-format 3D printing is commonly related to industrial plastics. However on this case, the fabric was chosen to assist sustainability targets. By utilizing a plant-based composite, the undertaking strikes away from purely petroleum-based plastics and towards renewable supplies. For a model like Lululemon, the supplies utilized in its flagship retailer matter.
What Decibel Constructed Does
Decibel Constructed focuses on customized architectural and furnishings initiatives made via large-format 3D printing. The corporate’s proprietary BranchClad system is one instance: a printed-surface system designed for inside and exterior functions. These BranchClad parts on the SoHo retailer had been produced utilizing Decibel’s C-Fab® expertise, leading to furnishings which might be as much as eight instances lighter than conventional concrete whereas sustaining structural energy.
Customized BranchClad shroud within the new Lululemon SoHo flagship retailer. Picture courtesy of Decibel Made by way of Instagram.
As a substitute of mass-producing an identical gadgets, Decibel creates customized items for every undertaking. And these benches had been made particularly for the SoHo retailer. Utilizing robotic additive manufacturing permits Decibel to provide giant objects in fewer components. It additionally permits floor textures to be programmed immediately into the print. That’s how the brand sample was embedded into the construction of the benches.
The corporate prints on Caracol AM’s Heron system, a robotic platform designed for large-scale additive manufacturing (LFAM). These methods use robotic arms to deposit thermoplastic supplies in layers, constructing furnishings and architectural elements at a scale that customary desktop printers can not attain.
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- Customized BranchClad bench within the new Lululemon SoHo flagship retailer. Picture courtesy of Decibel Made by way of Instagram.
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- Customized BranchClad bench within the new Lululemon SoHo flagship retailer. Picture courtesy of Decibel Made by way of Instagram.
3D printing in vogue has normally centered on footwear, midsoles, or efficiency gear. However this undertaking exhibits a special angle, and one that’s visually essential for purchasers: retail infrastructure. On this case, 3D printing is getting used to construct the shop itself, not the merchandise.
This issues as a result of retail is altering. Bodily shops are anticipated to supply one thing additional, one thing that on-line procuring can not. Utilizing new supplies and powerful design selections helps the shop really feel particular and distinctive. The 3D printed benches add one thing new to the shop. Prospects could not know the main points, however they’ll see and really feel the distinction.
A Template for Future Shops
As a result of this retailer is a mannequin for future areas, 3D printed parts may seem in additional Lululemon shops. For the 3D printing trade, that is fairly essential because it expands additive manufacturing past the industries we’re most accustomed to, like aerospace, medical, protection, and tooling. And it does one thing that different industries can not do: it places the expertise proper in entrance of the customers. It’s fairly a visual software.
What’s extra, large-format 3D printing is good for this sort of software. It permits customized types, embedded branding, and on-demand manufacturing with out the necessity for molds. For one-off flagship shops or restricted design rollouts, that flexibility is efficacious.
Customized BranchClad bench within the new Lululemon SoHo flagship retailer. Picture courtesy of Decibel Made by way of Instagram.
These new benches convey collectively a number of essential concepts: plant-based supplies, large-scale robotic 3D printing, customized design, and branding constructed immediately into the construction. Along with the light-weight BranchClad furnishings, they present how additive manufacturing can transfer past prototypes and into everlasting retail environments. In case you are in SoHo, you possibly can see and sit on the benches at 524 Broadway and expertise how 3D printing is turning into a part of on a regular basis areas.
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