Louis Vuitton Flagship Store in Guam

Architects: Barthélémy & Griño Architectes + Louis Vuitton Dept. of Architecture, Paris; Dak Coutts, Nathalie Fremont

Assistants: Camille Giuliani, Sébastien Hamonou, Nicolas Herrgott, Stéphanie Robin, Clément Oudin

Structural engineers: Terrell Rooke, Paris

Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is administered as an unincorporated territory of the US, and in view of its important strategic position, it has been a naval and air-force base since 1949. It is scarcely surprising, therefore, that a luxury label has built one of its flagship stores on the island, in close proximity to other noble boutiques, top restaurants and hotels.

The ornamental facade of the store, which marks the beginning of a shopping strip, displays the LV insignia of Louis Vuitton.

Industrially hewn from artificial stone and divided into elements that can be more easily handled and assembled, the facade also has to be able to withstand the effects of earthquakes and typhoons. This is achieved by suspending the units from stainless-steel brackets and struts. The grating-like openings not only create an attractive interplay of light and shade internally with interesting lighting effects at night; they also help to protect the building against damage from storms.

In contrast to the heavy stone facade, the ground floor is designed entirely in glass with showcase windows. Transparent areas of glazing are overlaid with translucent checked patterns, which were applied to both layers of the laminated glass in a screen-printing process, creating a slightly shimmering effect for passers-by.

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This article is an excerpt from DETAIL — Review of Architecture

   

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