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Today, Paris Design Agenda will introduce a design project from the Covet International Awards, a design contest sponsored by Covet Group and Brhands Foundation that seeks to distinguish the world’s most outstanding projects where design and craftsmanship take the spotlight. The project is a Hermes store in Hong Kong, and although it is not based in Paris, it was designed by the Paris-based architecture and design agency RDAI, and of course, it regards one of the biggest references in Parisian fashion and design, so our blog had to do an article about it.
The store is located at the crossroads of the Ice Street House and Road Greetings in Hong Kong. Led by Denis Montel, RDAI created an architectural project influenced by the main lines of the local architecture. The modern style of the building highlights the copper-colored anodized aluminum façade that shows the rhythm and verticality of bamboo as a material.
The interior decoration was based on materials like lacquered wood, leather, stucco, marble, and woven metal and on a palette of warm colors. The spaces are subdivided by some champagne-colored woven metal pieces. On the floor, we have two different textures, mosaic on the ground floor and bamboo parquet on the rest of the places. However, you can still find some floor rugs, covered in the pattern of bamboo fibers, in certain spots of the shop.
To bring in even more light, the corner of the building has been hollowed out at both ground floor and mezzanine level (the first floor). This hollow space captures and diffuses the light. On the upper level, it gives way to a balcony from which the city, its skyscrapers and its double-decker tram can be admired.
The extensive use of glass on both façades suffuses the store with golden light. Filtered by a forest of bamboo in the heart of the urban jungle, it allows a sophisticated nature to regain its rights and powers.
Founded by Rena Dumas in 1972 and now under the direction of Denis Montel, RDAI studio practices architecture, interior architecture and design. RDAI-Architecture was established in 2007 to focus on architectural projects. The creativity and versatility of RDAI have won the agency a worldwide reputation. The firm’s recent work demonstrates the dexterity that has enabled it to conceive a diverse range of projects, within a single sphere of ideas. Working on all scales, from entire buildings to interior environments and individual objects, RDAI’s distinguishing characteristic is its conceptual approach, which involves considering “the whole” in order to produce a rational and coherent project.
Source: RDAI
