Prada Boutique Aoyama

Herzog & de Meuron – Prada boutique Tokyo, Japan, 2000-2003

We decided to focus initially on the vertical volume containing the maximum gross surface area allowed, so that part of the lot surface cannot be developed. This area will form a sort of square, comparable to the public spaces of a European city.

The shape of the building is substantially influenced by the angle of incidence of the local profile. Depending on where the viewer is located, the body of the building will look more like a crystal or an archaic type of building with a gable roof. The ambivalent, ever-changing and oscillating character of the building's identity is accentuated by the sculptural effect of its glass surface structure. The rhombus-shaped grid on the facade is covered on all sides by a combination of convex, concave or flat glass panels. These different geometries generate multifaceted reflections, which allow viewers, both inside and outside the building, to constantly see the almost cinematographic images and perspectives of Prada products, of the city and of themselves.

But the grid on the facade is not simply an optical illusion; it is actively incorporated into structural engineering and, in combination with the vertical cores of the building, supports the ceilings. The horizontal tube stiffens the structure and also provides more private areas for changing rooms and check-out on the otherwise open floors flooded with light from the building.

The accessories with lamps and furniture for the presentation of Prada products and for visitors have been recently designed specifically for this place. The materials are hyper-artificial, such as resin, silicon and fiberglass, or hyper-natural, such as leather, moss or porous wooden planks. These contrasting materials prevent a fixed stylistic classification of the site, allowing traditional and radically contemporary aspects to appear as self-evident and equal components of today's global culture.
Herzog & de Meuron, 2003