Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati has completed a flagship store in Miami for French fashion brand Céline. The interior project spans two storeys, with the ground floor serving as an exhibition space, while the upper level contains shoes and ready-to-wear items. the scheme’s façades, floors, walls, and ceilings are entirely made of marble, with the brazilian stone pinta verde lending the surfaces a calming blue-green coloration.

Held by concrete pillars that connect the entire building to its foundation, the ground floor has been conceived as the interior of a canopy. Here, ‘the virtual world exists in parallel with the physical’, says Valerio Olgiati. Above, deep inside the marble, is a different type of space where céline’s clothing is displayed. ‘More tent than boutique, this is a place where an internal universe can be imagined,’ Olgiati explains. the store is located in the Miami design district, an area increasingly known for its contemporary architecture, upscale interior design stores, and art galleries.

credits

name: Céline flagship store 

object: fashion store

location: Miami, USA

client: Céline

architect: Valerio Olgiati

collaborators: Anthony Bonnici (project manager office Olgiati), Sofia Albrigo

marble contractor: Essequattro s.p.a.

general contractor: Michilli construction & consulting

materials: marble, in-situ concrete, bronze, chrome steel

begin of planning: august 2016

start of construction: september 2017

end of construction: april 2018

volume: 2,826 m3

area: 487 sqm

copyrights plans: archive Olgiati

copyrights pictures: Mikael Olsson