{Studio} designs the diamond-studded facade of the Tiffany & Co. store in Shanghai
Elegance and chic - such are the associations evoked by the brand Tiffany & Co. Thanks to the story of Truman Capote and the film starring Audrey Hepburne, stores with the blue logo have become a symbol of aspirations to luxury straight from the New York socialite of the 1960s. MVRDV's designers tried to combine the brand's aesthetics and heritage with Shanghai's vibrantly colored urban landscape.
A view of the facade and storefront showcases after dusk
Photo credit: Wen Studio | © Tiffany & Co., MVRDV
(Text compiled from the author's description of the office)
Located in the Taikoo-Li Qiantan shopping mall, the Tiffany & Co. store is now adorned with an intricate facade designed by MVRDV. With an installation consisting of 6,988 handmade glass diamonds, the facade clearly refers to the brand's famous jewelry designs.
By day, the façade's elements reflect and refract light, shining in the sun, while at night, LED lights make the boutique glow with an endless array of colors. The store is positioned on the middle axis of Taikoo Li Qiantan, a Shanghai shopping center opening in 2021. Among other premium brand boutiques, MVRDV's design stands out for its bold and deceptively simple concept: a facade made of diamonds.
The jewelry extravaganza of the facade
Photo credit: Wen Studio | © Tiffany & Co., MVRDV
Despite its apparent simplicity, the idea is based on a deep understanding of the identity and history of Tiffany & Co. The project is a continuation of the collaboration between MVRDV and Tiffany, the first fruits of which can be seen at Singapore's Changi Airport, and the store design strategy developed by the office for the brand. The approach pays homage to Tiffany &Co.'s heritage, emphasizing values such as innovation in the use of materials, multidimensionality of design and the ability to inspire awe. At Shanghai, all these principles find expression in a cascade of glass diamonds. They are arranged to give a random scattering effect, thinning out for better visibility where needed, such as along the first-floor balcony where customers of the cafe adjacent to the store sit.
A balcony to accommodate the store's customers
Photo credit: Wen Studio | © Tiffany & Co., MVRDV
Each of these glass diamonds is 21 centimeters wide, 13 centimeters high and weighs 1.5 kilograms. They are suspended from thin steel cables stretched between the upper and lower frames of the mirror-finished structure. Special steel brackets, designed to be as small and discreet as possible, ensure that the diamonds do not move or rotate on their supports. Thanks to the design's attention to detail, the facade uses only mechanical connections, so it can be completely disassembled and its parts reused or recycled in the future.
Close-up of the glass diamond installation
Photo: Wen Studio | © Tiffany & Co., MVRDV
Like MVRDV's previous project for Tiffany & Co. at Singapore Airport, the Shanghai store's facade incorporates a distinctive element derived from the local environment - in this case, it is inspired by the bright and colorful light screens in Shanghai's urban spaces. Accordingly, the design uses energy-efficient, color-changing LED lighting in both the upper and lower parts of the facade. In this way, the boutique can be illuminated in any color, including the signature Tiffany Blue®, with each color coming to life through the refractive effects on the glass diamonds.
Tiffany blue will shine among the many neon lights of nighttime Shanghai
© Tiffany & Co.
