louis vuitton store

louis vuitton store
j u n a o k i
1 9 9 9
nagoya.aichi prefecture.japan

“the first nagoya store could really be seen as the
opening salvo in the revival of the luxury boutique in
the late 1990s. heralding an important shift in louis
vuitton’s architectural program, the success of the
store even goaded competing brands to employ a
house architect of aoki’s dexterity.”
-Taro Igarashi (from “learning from louis vuitton.” louis vuitton: art,
fashion and architecture.)

the louis vuitton store in nagoya by jun aoki was the precedent for the architecture of luxury
boutiques. louis vuitton’s first free-standing boutique, the rectangular solid sits on a corner
in the shopping district. the simple geometric shape form is surrounded by a double glass
walls, each fritted with a checkerboard pattern. the two walls are spaced 1.1M apart and
the patterns on each of the walls create a moired effect as one passes around the building.
the ever-changin fluttering of the patterns is so experiential that a still photograph cannot
capture it. the void between the glass walls is lit so that at night, the small opulent box
illuminates its surroundings. the technique of the facade creates a mesmirizing visual effect
through the manipulation of texture and light.

the building is 11,674 total sq. ft and sits on a street corner with an area
of 4,927 sq. ft. there are three floors: a basement floor and ground floor
which serve as the shop area and a second floor for office space.
the material composition includes fritted float glass, steel, and reinforced
concrete. the structure is a partial steel frame a top a reinforced
concrete foundation. the glass walls have an “invisible” glass fin system
that brace the large panes.
plans from Japan Architect. 2001. Vol. 42-44.

MOIRED: aoki chose to create a moired facade inspired by
japanese culture and louis vuitton iconography. the pattern
is louis vuitton’s checkerboard or Damier pattern- known in
Japan as ichimatsu.
the two walls are covered with the pattern. the outer wall has
it etched into the glass surface; the inner wall has an opaque
brown and white rendition on plasterboard. the offset of the
pattern causes the two walls to interact and create a
graphical fusion. the outer glass wall is supported by glass
fins that cantilever out towards the inner wall. the inner wall
is structurally rigid with a steel frame and steel plates to
minimize displacement between layers.

the 1.1M span between the outer and inner
walls is also structurally assisted by the
cubic forms that float in between.
the top cubes are illuminated signs and the
bottom cubes are display cases which are
open to the interior. the public entrance is
a cube as well with a large height of almost
14 feet. the cubes are made rigid with a
steel frame.

SELECTED PORTION OF THE BUILDING FOR STUDY: the selected area is 28’-6 1/2” x 28’-
6 1/2” x 44’-8 1/2” and will be modeled at the scale 1/2”=1’-0”. the section cuts through the
public entrance and display 2 to allow for detailed section analysis of the cubic forms.
sign 2 also occurs in the selected area as a whole cube.

X1 X2
DETAIL OF SELECTED AREA (PLAN)
dimensions shown in mm

X1 X2
DETAIL OF SELECTED AREA (SECTIONS)

DIAGRAM OF MATERIALS SELECTED
FOR PHYSICAL MODEL