The Last Word

“What struck me when I first visited Seoul nearly 25 years ago, was the relationship between the architecture and the natural landscape,” shares Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank

Gehry. “I still remember clearly the powerful impressions I had stepping up from the garden of Jongmyo Shrine.” Such fateful encounters influenced the design of the Louis Vuitton Seoul flagship store in the Gangnam district; it is Gehry’s first project in South Korea.

Combining elements of historical Korean architecture and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (also designed by Gehry), the building features specially-moulded curved glass panels attached to a metal lattice. Each louvred panel soars upwards, with the walls and base of the building clad in white stone to enhance the appearance of weightlessness. Colourful life-sized paper trees have also been crafted for the store windows, in shades inspired by the artworks in the building.

The interior spaces are the work of American architect and frequent Louis Vuitton collaborator Peter Marino. Within the five-storey store are contrasting spaces that showcase the latest collections from the fashion house as well as the Objets Nomades range of furniture and homeware.

“The interior spaces were designed with a Miesian rigour to more strongly emphasise the billowing, energetic (and) sculptural quality of Gehry’s exterior,” explains Marino, who referenced the rigorous modern aesthetic of influential architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. “The dynamism of the rectangular volumes cleanly contrasts with the baroque glass shields of the building.” The result celebrates the voluminous sense of space in the 12m-high entrance hall while carving out cosy nooks and intimate lounges throughout the boutique, making it an inspiring and elegant addition to the shopping street.