Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - FacadeGivenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - ShelvingGivenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 4 of 20Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - SteelGivenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - More Images+ 15

Text description provided by the architects. The Milanese studio Piuarch realizes the new Givenchy flagship store in Seoul (South Korea), in close collaboration with the art director of the Maison, Riccardo Tisci.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 13 of 20
© Shin Kyungsub

The store is housed in a building located in the thriving shopping district of Gangnam-Gu. The boutique has an area of about 400 square meters on three levels and offers an exhibition of women's fashion, accessories, and men's fashion: a unique vision of luxury ready-to-wear, both urban and couture.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Facade, Windows
© Shin Kyungsub

The building features a peculiar graphic facade, with a hyper-minimalist interior that reflects the themes and the allure of the brand.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 17 of 20
Floor Plan

FACADE AND T CUT

Designed as a sort of enclosure - a second embossed skin as an expression of a urban identity - the façade is meant to evoke the distinctive tailoring "T cut" that characterizes the style of the French brand. The ashlar surface made of electropolished steel plates creates reflection effects that change depending on the light and interact with the surrounding landscape.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Steel
© Shin Kyungsub

This peculiar skin is inspired by the Optical Art and by the characteristic use of fabrics that Givenchy made in the latest collections.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 20 of 20
Facade Details

Inside the cut, at the upper corner of the building, it appears a surface of satin brass which becomes an urban element for those who follow the great way of Cheongdam. At the same time it evokes the brand since it is a direct reference to the famous T cut style of Givenchy. The corrugated iron has irregular holes that in the evening light interact to continuously modify the image of the building, generating kinetic effects that makes the whole building a dynamic structure and street landmark.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Facade
© Shin Kyungsub

Piuarch searched for reference on the Italian art movements of the 60s: Lucio Fontana and Enrico Castellani above the others.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 18 of 20
Elevation Details

The point of contact between Italian optical art and the Givenchy is in the work of Riccardo Tisci, whose work is pervaded by continual reference to the artistic movements.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Steel
© Shin Kyungsub

MATERIALS

Piuarch wanted to match an urban approach to what is a tailoring use of materials. The result is a glossy black cube resting on a ground floor fully glazed.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 4 of 20
© Shin Kyungsub

The general concept of the interior design is expressed through a unique research materials: marble calacatta, salanoir, stone Basalt, which are side by side in the different elements to create a spirit elegant, yet contemporary. Particular importance is given to the internal staircase lined with marble Sahara noir, off the wall with ramps that go in different directions.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Shelving
© Shin Kyungsub

The façade: technical information

The cover panels of the façade were made be spoke in South Korea developing a specific technology for this purpose. The pressed iron has been deformed from one side only using a modern fluid pressing technology. The covering is made with square modules size 110x110 cm thickness of 1.5 cm.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Windows, Facade
© Shin Kyungsub

Each module has five holes, diameter 5 cm, and four protrusions, diameter 14 cm, each one move 8 cm forward/backwards from the plan of the front panel. The embossed surface of steel plates has an electrocoloured finishing.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 11 of 20
© Shin Kyungsub

The modules are secured by a stainless steel frame attached to a rear tubular structure. The lighting is made with optical fibres for point light sources and positioned in places of easy maintenance.

Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch - Image 14 of 20
© Shin Kyungsub

The general concept of the facade, with its kinetic/optical nature, as well as the specific building technique, make it a unicum in its genre.

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Project location

Address:Seoul, South Korea

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Givenchy Flagship Store in Seoul / Piuarch" 18 Feb 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/599689/givenchy-flagship-store-in-seoul-piuarch> ISSN 0719-8884

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