Architecture studio MVRDV took cues from the glamour of art deco architecture when creating the jade-coloured facade of the Bulgari Shanghai store.
Incorporating recycled champagne and beer bottles, the facade wraps Bulgari Shanghai, which is located at the Shanghai Plaza 66 shopping centre.
The Shanghai store, which was the third designed by the studio for the Italian luxury fashion brand, has a facade made primarily from jade-coloured glass.
According to MVRDV these panels and the gold-coloured brass trim reference Bulgari’s first boutique store in Rome.
“The pattern is inspired by the Condotti cornices from the Bulgari palazzo on Via Condotti [in Rome],” MVRDV told Dezeen.
“But for this store, [the pattern] is a solid facade with no windows. We played it more freely to achieve this art deco pattern.”
“Art deco is a highlight of both Bulgari’s brand heritage and the architectural heritage of Shanghai, so we used it as a ‘linking bridge’ between the two,” continued the studio.
MVRDV was influenced by the colour and materiality of jade when visualising the store’s facade, which has historically been celebrated as one of China’s most precious stones.
The architecture studio used recycled glass to form the ornate panels.
The compressed green glass was created from reclaimed champagne, beer and other glass bottles. After dark, the storefront emits a bright green glow thanks to backlighting.
“Given the right treatment and detailing, leftover champagne and beer bottles, which would otherwise be thrown away, become a jewel for the city,” concluded the store’s architects.
Known for its luxury products such as jewellery, Bulgari was founded by Sotirios Voulgaris in 1884.
Founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, MVRDV is a Rotterdam-based architecture office. Previously the studio created a glass-fronted luxury store for French brand Chanel in Amsterdam.
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