Page 85 - AIT0924_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Casper Mueller Kneer, GB-London
„Im Vordergrund des Konzepts steht
die umfangreiche Verwendung von silberblauem
Travertin in Form vielfältiger Texturen und Formate.
Die Räume sind aus diesem Stein ausgehöhlt.“
Casper Mueller Kneer Architects
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss Obergeschoss • Upper floor plan
Bauherr • Client Jil Sander, IT-Mailand
Standort • Location 134 Bond Street, GB-London
Nutzfläche • Floor space 277 m 2
Fotos • Photos Paul Riddle, GB-London
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126
JIL SANDER CONCEPT
STORE IN LONDON
To present the fashion of the internationally renowned
label Jil Sander in an appropriate setting, there is no
need for a shop concept that favours showmanship
and fast fashion. Elegant restraint and material quality
are the order of the day. After all, the store simply sets
the stage for what it is all about: fashion in its most
beautiful form.
I f one had to describe the design concept of the new Jil Sander
flagship store in a nutshell, it could be summed up in two words:
material monochromy. The two-storey store, located in London’s
exclusive Mayfair district, is essentially foregrounds the extensive use
of a single material: silver-blue travertine. Despite its omnipresence,
the iridescent grey sedimentary stone does not appear monotonous,
as can be illustrated through a “three-stage approach”: From the out-
side, the fashion boutique – designed by Casper Mueller Kneer Archi-
tects – might look like a plain backdrop in supposedly uniform grey.
However, upon entering, visitors discover differentiated variations in
colour, format and structure of the material. Not only does the stone
boast an enormous range of grey shades, the formats of the natural
stone slabs also vary significantly. Differences in the surface texture
are just as recognisable, sometimes it is roughly polished, sometimes
deeply grooved. The intricate beauty of travertine, however, can only
be truly appreciated when one approaches the material closely. With
its crystal-studded inclusions, the veined stone – a contemporary wit-
ness to millions of years of the Earth’s history – forms a cosmos of its
own that one can really get lost in while gazing at it. The silver traver-
tine is complemented by a few select materials, including brass. The
delicate rods used as balustrades on the staircase and the handrail
on the wall are made from this material. Other types of natural stone
can also be found on both levels of the store, including red travertine
used for stools in the fitting rooms and bluish marble for the sculptu-
ral display tables, which seem to float like ice floes in the middle of
the sea of travertine. A graphite-grey table made from recycled plastic
adds a material contrast to the natural materials, while matching the
colour of the stony interior. A louvered ceiling was installed to create
gentle lighting with daylight quality, while the lighting on the lower
ground floor generates a moodier ambiance. Less is more – this not
only applies to Jil Sander’s fashion, but also to the new flagship store,
whose design is minimally distracting from the textile creations.
AIT 9.2024 • 085