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Holts Lapidary

Blauel Architects, London, 2007

 

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Designed as an abstraction, the display starkly frames an array of pads that seem to float in the fissure bathed in bright warm light, beautifully presenting a wide selection of gems 

Dennis Gilbert/VIEW (website)     Download Original

  • Designed as an abstraction, the display starkly frames an array of pads that seem to float in the fissure bathed in bright warm light, beautifully presenting a wide selection of gems    
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  • The concentric layout of the shop resembles a trading floor with a rainbow spectrum of stones laid out on radial shelves    
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  • The style is consistent throughout    
  • The back-of-shop office    
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  • Floor plan    
  • Cross section    
  • Front elevation    
  • Internal elevation    

Refurbishment of jeweller's shop that involved creating a display resembling the fissure in a rock to model the precious gems sold by the shop

The architect has added a contemporary facade to a jeweller’s shop in the historic jewellery quarter of Hatton Garden in central London.

Precious stones are exhibited throughout the store in a fissure-like display system that looks like something abstractedly geological. The fissure is painted in white on its horizontal surfaces, concentrating light (and the customer’s attention) on the merchandise.

The interior of the shop is arranged in a circle, with display shelves surrounding a space that the architect compares to a trading floor.

Data

  • Completed: Aug 2007
  • Sector: Retail
  • Total cost: £250,000
  • Address: Holts Lapidary, 98 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8NX, United Kingdom

Materials

Glazed facade

Professional Team

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