The store on Rodeo Drive is a new construction of 24,000 sqft on three storeys plus basement. Because of its location in Los Angeles, the store stands in a specific relation to the New York project, but also through its horizontality and the need to connect mainly two floors. As in New York the floor waves down towards the basement, in Los Angeles the same wooden plane folds up and creates a symmetrical ‘hill’ that supports a floating aluminum box. Inside this volume, the main store program is organized along its perimeter.The façade towards Rodeo Drive is literally non-existent – without the classical storefront and glass enclosures, the entire width of the store opens up to the street and merges public with commercial space. The climatic separation is achieved through an air-curtain system, invisible security antennas guarantee the control of the store. At night, an aluminum panel rises from the ground and hermetically seals the building. The third floor is dominated by the ‘scenario space’: An open floor plan that is used for changing display arrangements, like an extended idea of a display window, offering ways to present clothes beyond the presence of hangbars and shelves.
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