Louis Vuitton's Flagship Store in Japan

A Dutch architecture powerhouse, UNstudio, creates a new concept for Louis Vuitton's new flagship store in Japan.  Exactly where and when their new 10 story building will be debuted is still kept a secret.  It is meant to fuse LV's classical and modern qualities to bring out the true essence.

According to UNstudio: "The elements that represent the classical values connected to the Louis Vuitton brand are implicitly present throughout the design. The element that moves through all the scale levels of the design is the leaf shape. The leaf is found in the floor plan, in the section and in the elevation. Leaf-shaped openings in the façade give the building a strong identity with landmark potential, while complying with the necessity for discreetness with respect to visibility from the outside. The leaf shape can be seen as bearing a connection to the famous Louis Vuitton monogram."

Some additional project details:

Client: Louis Vuitton Malletier
Program: Flagship store / Landmark building. Retail, café, spa, bookstore, event and exhibition space.
Building surface: ca. 6.000 m2
Building volume: ca. 40.000 m2
Building site: 746 m2
Competition dates: Nov 2006 – Feb 2007

Credits
UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Astrid Piber with Mirko Bergmann and Sebastian Schott, Ger Gijzen, Cristina Bolis, Juliane Maier, Albert Gnodde, Andreas Brink, Michael Knauss, Morten Krog, Silvan Oesterle, Machteld Kors.

Advisors:
Structure, SMEP: Arup, Amsterdam
Lighting design: Arup Lighting, Amsterdam
Façade Engineering: Arup GmbH, Berlin

via DeZeen