MVRDV has wrapped a flagship store with glass fins that make up fluid curves in Beijing, China. 

The new store, named Tiffany Façade Beijing, provides a 1,000-square-metre interior space and reaches up 20-metre height with light blue fins. 

In Beijing's Taikoo-Li Sanlitun business district, a brand-new Tiffany & Co. flagship shop has opened to the public. Its façade has curved, translucent glass fins that give the structure an ethereal appearance. 

The Beijing store is the fifth in a series of façade designs made by MVRDV for Tiffany, with its flowing shapes influenced by the works of jewelry designer Elsa Peretti. It introduces a new design motif that reflects the series' pursuit of innovative materials and expressive three-dimensional form.

In the northern part of Taikoo-Li Sanlitun, where luxury goods are more common, the store is situated at a crossroads. Translucent, textured glass fins that extend vertically up the building's whole four-story height embellish the façade to capitalize on its location. 

These locally produced, ethically recycled fins give the façade a sophisticated, flowing shape with their softly curved edges. MVRDV drew inspiration for this shape from Elsa Peretti's Bone Cuff.

"When viewed from an angle, the layering effect of the dense glass fins amplifies the effects of the light, highlighting the façade’s shape," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. 

"The light filtering through and reflecting off of the translucent glass creates a delicate interplay that is constantly changing as you move. And, as you pass close to the building, you see glimpses in between the fins to the jewellery inside," Van Rijs added.

The glass, which has previously been carefully chosen for its natural blue tone, is lighted in Tiffany & Co.'s recognizable Tiffany Blue® at night, creating a diffuse radiance throughout the store. 

In order to minimize the presence of hardware that could detract from the subtle light effects produced by the glass, lighting modules are integrated directly into the specially made brackets that hold the glass fins, ensuring an exquisite appearance.

Because of the façade's demountable construction, the glass fins and mounting brackets may be removed without causing harm and may be recycled or repurposed when their useful lives are over.

Recently, MVRDV completed the Pujiang Platform, a viewpoint consisting of an arched, earth-covered timber pavilion situated among the hills south of Chengdu. In addition, the firm revealed design for The Island, a residential project by MVRDV, uses organic shapes and a green vertical environment to bring nature into the city. Moreover, the studio revealed plans for a monumental spherical sports arena in Tirana, Albania. 

Project facts

Project name: Tiffany Façade Beijing 

Location: Beijing, China

Year: 2023–2025 

Client: Tiffany & Co.

Size and Programme: 1000m2, 20m height – Retail façade

Architect: MVRDV

Founding Partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

Head of Interior: Aser Gimenez Ortega

Design Team: Simone Costa, Türker Naci Şaylan, Monica Di Salvo, Natalia Lipczuk, Sanel Beciri, Sofia Mermigka Angeli

Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

Partners:

Co-architect: AT ZERO DESIGN LIMITED

Contractor: Permasteelisa Gartner Hong Kong Limited 

Lighting designer: Cooley Monato Studio 

All images © Tiffany & Co.

> via MVRDV 

Beijing flagship store MVRDV store Tiffany