During the darkest days of the pandemic, a new building for the French brand Louis Vuitton rose like a beacon of hope in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. The design, reminiscent of a column of water reflecting sunlight, seems to embody light, joy, and optimism.

Architect Jun Aoki, who has designed several Louis Vuitton stores in Japan and abroad, emphasizes the unique characteristics of each location and its history in his projects. In this case, the design is inspired by the Edo period (1603−1867), when Ginza was still a coastal area along the shores of Tokyo Bay. The water motif is clearly reflected in both the building’s facade and its interior, reconnecting the location with its history through architecture.

Jun Aoki also references Claude Monet’s impressionist painting "La Grenouillère" as key to understanding how to convey the shimmering surface of water. In the painting, Monet uses individual brushstrokes without blending colors on the canvas, allowing viewers to perceive an "illusion of water" in their imagination rather than on the painting itself. To bring this concept to life, Jun Aoki chose dichroic coating, which reflects light in a variety of shades. This special glass film creates a pearlescent effect, evoking the sensation of ripples, shimmer, and fluidity. Interestingly, the actual depth of the undulating surfaces is only 10 cm.


Name: Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki Flagship Boutiquei / ルイ・ヴィトン銀座並木通り店
City: Tokyo
Address: view the address
Architect: Jun Aoki
Year: 2021

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