Designed by Pritzker Prize laureates SANAA, the Dior store is located on Tokyo’s Omotesando avenue. “The boutique embodies a lofty, contemporary atmosphere, while still maintaining the feminine and glamorous aesthetic that reflects the traditional elegance of the house of Dior,” said a statement from the brand. The desire to give great prominence to the Dior collections, as in a museum setting, led to the decision to use a system of luminaires, hidden from view, recessed in a sloping groove in the ceiling. Equipped with very low-voltage halogen lamps, these luminaires provide direct light for the clothes and objects on display, making them the absolute protagonists of the space, highlighted by very high illuminance values. A new concept of a building conceived as a manifesto is experimented with: the façade is marked by colour variations both during the day and at night, the interior is characterised by the use of black and white lacquer, metal and black stone for the floors. The relationship between project lighting and architecture is fundamental. The lighting, which is always integrated into the architecture, indicates the various uses and products by changing the colour of the fluorescent tubes in the different ranges of Kelvin degrees available (6000 for the façade, 4200 in the common areas) and by using the light of the halogen spots (3050 K) on the goods on display to ensure maximum colour rendering. Light is an extremely important factor not only for aesthetic and functional reasons but also as a real marketing tool, maximising its communicative potential. The lighting of shop windows plays a fundamental role, as it is the most direct and immediate relationship with the public. Light dialogues and interacts with the perception and behaviour of customers, who are guided, attracted and seduced by the objects on display. Retail lighting design is another project area that involves the Via Presolana studio for lighting shop windows and showrooms, such as the unique Viktor & Rolf Showroom project.
Collaborations:
Dior Architecture
Photo Courtesy:
Giovanna Olgiati
Year:
2003
Other Projects
Orsay Museum where architecture became a big lighting device, the reflections of light bulbs with walls and ceilings create a uniform light without shadows. Groups of projectors in Grassi Palace recall a small football field. Here was born a new type of lighting device. Reflector lamps and articulated support gives life at the "Cestello". Spasa na Krovi is a perfection of Mantova project. Light beams aggregation allow the device size reduction and the dispersion light control.
