A substantial renovation and expansion of the Tiffany & Co. flagship retail and office tower in Manhattan is currently under construction by OMA New York. The project, which broke ground earlier this year, will bring a new two-story addition to the 10-story building's uppermost levels, replacing an earlier addition made to the structure in the 1980s.
Originally built in 1940 by neoclassical architects Cross & Cross, the building renovation is set to include new exhibition, event, and "clienteling" spaces to help the building keep pace with "the growing and diverse program needs of the brand," according to a press release. According to project text, OMA Partner Shohei Shigematsu and OMA Associate Jake Forster are the main designers for the project at OMA New York.
The project will lend a clearly defined circulation plan to the building as well as new energy efficient amenity and retail spaces along upper levels. The two-story addition is set to include a double-skinned glass facade marked along its uppermost level by undulating surfaces. This slumped glass exterior will create visual privacy for the upper level spaces, the architects explain, while the more conventional, rectilinear curtain wall elements below offer clear views into the structure.
In a statement, OMA Partner Shohei Shigematsu said, “Tiffany’s 5th Avenue Flagship is more than a retail space, it is a destination with a public dimension. The new addition is informed by programmatic needs of the evolving brand—a gathering place that acts as a contemporary counterpart to the iconic ground level space and its activities. The floating volume over an existing terrace provides a clear visual cue to a vertical journey of diverse experiences throughout the building.”
To which Reed Krakoff, Chief Artistic Officer, Tiffany & Co. added, “The Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship is arguably one of the most beloved and well known luxury retail spaces in the world. It's a place where so many have memories of important moments in their lives, filled with emotion and anticipation of the extraordinary. Tiffany’s newly transformed flagship will reflect the future of our brand, while honoring our 183-year legacy.”
The project is slated for a Spring 2022 completion.
9 Comments
OMA NY is much different from OMA NL --- probably why the satellite offices always break away
Indeed. It has always been run almost independently of the other satellites.
this is by design, OMA realized a few years ago that they were bleeding talent and creating their own competition (MVRDV, BIG, WorkAC, etc) and so decided to give each of the individual offices a more distinct identity under the leadership of the different principals (Shohei Shigematsu and Jason Long in the case of NY). Check out the "On Architectural Generations" video here to hear Shigematsu talk about this idea in greater detail https://archinect.com/features/article/150143605/soapbox-shohei-shigematsu
I always liked the decentralization idea behind OMA ... though the name is still an elephant in the room -- and much of these NY buildings have the Koolhaas name up front in the PR. Can't escape the star
Feels like REX took away the last vestige of intellectual diagrams when they left with the OMA NY staff. OMA NY today doesn't bother with the theorizing of OMA Rotterdam.
OMA-NY is kind of like a soft version of OMA for the 'murican clients that can't handle/don't want the harder stuff.
Nice project, but Rem is clearly no longer involved.
is there a design there, somewhere?
BLAH!
Well, this 'lil glass box is being featured everywhere in the press, so it looks like somebody in the OMA-NY marketing department earned their paycheck this week.
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