Ceramic and light grid
Paris
Avenue Montaigne is one of the main thoroughfares of the Parisian Golden Triangle, forming one of its boundaries. Connecting the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées to the Seine, it has become a landmark for the fashion and luxury industry. Numerous fashion houses have established their most flamboyant retail locations there, now rivaling one another in the audacity of their staging. While Haussmannian style characterizes the architecture of this Parisian district, it does not entirely dictate the avenue’s appearance, as evidenced by the antique portico adorning the facade of number 54.
A testament to an era when industry was idealized, it theatrically marks the entrance to what was originally the showroom and concession of the prestigious automobile manufacturer Panhard & Levassor. It was only a little later, in the 1920s, that the district was shaped by the arrival of fashion designers and couturiers.
Today, the building’s scale, location, and the architectural freedom permitted by the context had everything needed to make it the flagship “landmark” for a major fashion house.
The exterior treatment was conceived like a precious object that attracts attention, its shimmering fabric sparkling within the urban fabric. Arranged with the precision of artisanal knitting, the facade was covered with a multitude of porcelain spikes that form a grid with a striking visual impact.
A testament to an era when industry was idealized, it theatrically marks the entrance to what was originally the showroom and concession of the prestigious automobile manufacturer Panhard & Levassor. It was only a little later, in the 1920s, that the district was shaped by the arrival of fashion designers and couturiers.
Today, the building’s scale, location, and the architectural freedom permitted by the context had everything needed to make it the flagship “landmark” for a major fashion house.
The exterior treatment was conceived like a precious object that attracts attention, its shimmering fabric sparkling within the urban fabric. Arranged with the precision of artisanal knitting, the facade was covered with a multitude of porcelain spikes that form a grid with a striking visual impact.
A dialogue thus begins between materials and eras: contemporary sobriety and classical ornament, mirror finishes and matte minerality, fiber arrangements and the uniform surface of stone.
Playing with daylight, this cladding makes the building’s surface shimmer, bringing it to life through changing nuances. It thus enhances its visibility and, combined with the expressive power of the portico, gives it a strong identity within the avenue’s great architectural diversity. Inside, the spirit of the place is restored as originally conceived—namely in its length, to take advantage of the dimensions of the former glass-roofed hall. The removal of the interior courtyard building and the recovery of the parking area space make it possible to clear a vast expanse that exploits the full depth of the plot, unfolding from the basement to the ground floor to form a single volume that can be appreciated right as one passes through the portico.
“Daring to shake up the architecture of Avenue Montaigne while preserving a subtle balance between classicism and audacity. This is how we proposed to innovate and create a porcelain showcase.”
Playing with daylight, this cladding makes the building’s surface shimmer, bringing it to life through changing nuances. It thus enhances its visibility and, combined with the expressive power of the portico, gives it a strong identity within the avenue’s great architectural diversity. Inside, the spirit of the place is restored as originally conceived—namely in its length, to take advantage of the dimensions of the former glass-roofed hall. The removal of the interior courtyard building and the recovery of the parking area space make it possible to clear a vast expanse that exploits the full depth of the plot, unfolding from the basement to the ground floor to form a single volume that can be appreciated right as one passes through the portico.
“Daring to shake up the architecture of Avenue Montaigne while preserving a subtle balance between classicism and audacity. This is how we proposed to innovate and create a porcelain showcase.”
- Adress54 avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris
- FRESH Team MemberStéphane Pereira
Guia Cimino
Thomas Rouillon - ProgramRehabilitation of an office and retail building
- Floor Area2 100 m²
- Cost13 M€ HT
- ClientChelsfield pour le GroupeOlayan
- PartnersBollinger+Grohmann
ALTO ingénierie
Bellapart
Atelier Miething
Bernardaud - PerformanceNC
- StatusDelivered
- Year2021