La Maison Unique
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Nikolas Koenig (website) Download Original
Global flagship retail store for a highend fashion chain
The small ground floor street frontage is linked to the main retail space on the first floor by a sculptural staircase that is constructed from a series of ribbon-like forms in 1¼ inch hot-rolled steel.
The magnetic properties of the landscape stair enable movable lights and display stands to be attached with high-strength magnets. The transparent balustrades are fabricated using aerospace windscreen technology to create a series of individually formed panels that drape with the fluidity of fabric.
On the main retail floor, the laminated wood ceiling is sliced open and sections folded downwards, their layers separated further to provide surfaces to display the merchandise.
An additional second floor contains a showroom, offices and roof garden.
Data
- Completed: May 2006
- Floor area: 910m2
- Sector: Retail
- Address: Longchamp Soho, 132 Spring Street, New York, 10012, United States
Materials 
Professional Team
- Architect: Heatherwick Studio, Atmosphere Design Group
- Client: Longchamp
- Structural engineer: Building Structural Engineering Services
- Structural engineer: Gilsanz Murray Steficek
- MEP consultant: O’Dea Lynch Abbattista & Associates
- Lighting Designer: HDLC Architectural Lighting Design
- Main contractor: Shawmut Design and Construction
- Expediter: Outsource Consultants
Suppliers
- Balustrade panels: Talbot Designs
- Metal work: Lowfields Timber Frames
- Timber work: Imperial Woodworking Enterprises
