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
