Prada Departement Store-TOKYO

Herzog and de Meuron 2003

 Prada's Tokyo “epicenter”, in the fashionable Aoyama district, is the company's second radical approach to fashion-store architecture, following Rem Koolhaas’ flagship store in New York. The intent is "to reshape both the concept and function of shopping, pleasure and communication, to encourage the meshing of consumption and
culture.


Jacques Herzog describes these glass panes as “an interactive optical device. Because some of the glass is curved, it seems to move as you walk around it. That creates awareness of both the merchandise and the city—there's an intense dialogue between actors. Also, the grid brings a human scale to the architecture, like display windows. It's almost old-fashioned.”

“Tokyo is a city where not a single building relates to its neighborhood, and every building fills its whole site. We took a chance in creating a little space outdoors, like in European cities. We also reversed the typical Japanese emphasis on looking inward by giving importance to the view.”