As part of a redesign of the Tiffany & Co. flagship store in New York City, seele was commissioned with the façade construction of the new VIP showroom on the 8th – 11th floors. The design by the architects OMA and CallisonRTKL envisaged an aluminium mullion and transom façade on the 8th – 9th floors. A unitized façade was designed for the façade on the 10th – 11th floor. It consists of elements measuring 8,8 x 2,45 m, made of steel-reinforced aluminium profiles and structurally load-bearing bonded insulating glass units with corrugated, hot-bent glass panes.
Previously, seele was awarded another project on NewYork‘s 5th Avenue: The sports and fashion brand Puma’s new two-storey flagship store.
The façade of the retail store comprises two different types: the upper level is a suspended steel-and-glass structure, which is structured into 54 square units, each consisting of four triangular insulating glass units. These are connected by crossover steel profiles and create an intriguing, crystal-like pattern.
The ground floor façade is designed as a large all-glass construction with insulating glass units of almost 4m in height, as the vertical joints are designed using structural silicone.
Touching issues as design and engineering, the presentation will mainly focus on challenges in the logistics of the prefabricated façade elements and the requirement for a smooth installation in the centre of Manhattan.
