Louis Vuitton is the embodiment of fashion and haute couture. Designers of the 25,000m² (approx. 270,000ft²) Louis Vuitton flagship store at busy Raffles Place on Marina Bay in Singapore have created a customised glazed pavilion.
Large and uninterrupted glass fronts and a nautical flair have quickly turned the Louis Vuitton store – their first in South-East Asia – with its light-suffused atmosphere into a magnet for visitors in a metropolis with a discerning shopping clientele.
Island house surrounded by water
With the "Island Maison," New York-based interior architect Peter Marino adopted the core themes of Louis Vuitton: travel and worldly sophistication, maritime ease, and relaxed elegance. The result is a crystal-like construction which lies on a separate island in Singapore harbour. Special attention was paid by the designers to ensure the luxury goods were protected from the effects of intense sunlight.
Covered with SEFAR Architecture EH-35- T2, custom-made cassette elements were used to protect the precious materials, fabrics, and leather articles from too much daylight. At the same time, they had to provide the store with sufficient natural light for a warm and welcoming shopping ambience. All this, and the skyline of the inner-city bay always in view.
Pre-tensioned and installed directly on site
Over 300 tensioned ceiling panels in aluminium frames specially made by FTL were used. Key requirements that coverings were free of creases and illumination reached right into the corners.
Today the ceiling panels appear to hover in space, floating like the sails of a luxury yacht while client and designer Nicholas Goldsmith from FTL Design Engineering Studio has even likened them to flying carpets. A cable mechanism gives access to the lighting system behind the panels.
"It’s a great product"
Unbeatable in terms of its translucence, durability, and resilience, the decisive advantages of the low-maintenance fabric are also listed by designer Goldsmith, while at the end of the project; interior architect Peter Marino once more highlighted its functionality and light quality.
The strong exterior light – further reflected by nearby water – is visibly softened by the use of SEFAR Architecture EH-35-T2 and its exceptional UV protection. In this way, the colour scheme harmonizes with the goods on display, discreetly underlining their special value.