Maison Hermès Ginza
Renzo Piano Building Workshop + Takenaka Corporation · Tokyo, Japan · 2001
Maison Hermès Ginza is one of the most refined architectural statements in Tokyo’s luxury retail district. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Takenaka Corporation, the building translates the idea of a luminous lantern into a compact urban tower. Its façade is made from thousands of glass blocks that soften daylight during the day and glow at night, creating a delicate relationship between craft, brand identity and the dense commercial street. The project contains retail, offices and exhibition spaces while maintaining a calm, almost immaterial presence. For visitors walking through Ginza, it is an important example of how a flagship store can function not only as commerce, but also as a carefully composed urban artifact.