Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates has created a distinctive flagship store for Louis Vuitton in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district with an undulating facade and interiors by architect Peter Marino.
Replacing the brand's previous store, which has occupied the same corner since 1981, the seven-storey Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki store is wrapped in a water-like facade.
Designed by Jun Aoki and Associates, this undulating pearlescent facade was created to give the building a modern look and reflect Ginza's location near Tokyo Bay.
Top: Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki store by Jun Aoki and Associates. Above: the facade has an undulating water-like design
"The building's highly modern appearance interprets the reflections of water as a material phenomenon," said Louis Vuitton. "Poetic yet playful; shimmering and rhythmic. Once a peninsula extending in Tokyo Bay, this evocation of water is expressed throughout as smooth, undulating surfaces ? from the glass facade that transmits shifting colour to the feature staircase and fixtures."
The store occupies a busy corner site
The facade was constructed from two layers of glass that curve and ripple like water, which was covered with a dichroic film to create a pearlescent colouring.
A clear opening at the corner of the ground floor showcases the latest collections and allows glimpses of the art-filled, natured inspired interiors by New York-based studio Peter Marino.
The facade of the store reflects and distorts i...