The Tiffany & Co. boutique in Shanghai has been given an unusual face. Architects from the MVRDV studio designed its façade and decided to decorate it along its entire length with a diamond-like installation.
The Tiffany & Co. boutique is located in the Taikoo-Li Qiantan shopping complex. Its façade is decorated with 6,988 handmade glass ‘diamonds’. The façade is meant to refer to Tiffany’s famous jewellery designs. Their shape means that during the day they refract sunlight to create a glow. At night, the elements are illuminated by LED lighting causing a similar visual effect.
The shop is located in the central part of the shopping centre, which opened in 2021. Right next door are boutiques of other luxury brands, but it is the Tiffany & Co. showcase that is most impressive. The installation makes the boutique’s walls look three-dimensional. In total, the boutique occupies two levels.
This seemingly simple procedure used by the architects is based on a deep analysis of the company’s identity and history. The Dutch architects know the brand well, having already designed the façade of their boutique at Changi Airport in Singapore. Interestingly, the architects then used plastic made from bottles fished from the oceans. After processing, they were able to create a sculptural form. We wrote more about this boutique HERE.
Each glass piece is 21 cm wide and 13 cm high. The weight of one ornament is 1.5 kg. To hold the structure they are suspended from steel ropes that have been coated with a mirror finish. The handles holding the ropes have been designed to be as small and invisible as possible.
When designing the installation, the architects paid attention to detail. The ornaments do not rotate or move. The whole thing can be easily dismantled and recycled in the future.
photos: Won Studio
source: MVRDV
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