Prada New York Epicenter
From MaterialProject.org, the free architectural material catalog
The Prada Epicenter in SoHo New York was designed by architect Rem Koolhaas of OMA. Koolhaas is known for his interest in shaping the contemporary urban environment and has produced buildings around the globe that respond to both their physical locations and their metropolitan context. As Jonathan Clancy of the Guardian wrote, “Here is an architect who could happily sit down one day with God to design refined and purposeful public buildings knitted into the fabric of old cities, and the next with the devil to design the wayward architecture demanded by ultra-capitalism.” [1]
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Building information
Designer: Rem Koolhaas, OMA
Program type: Retail Space
Project budget: $1700/sq.ft.
Location
Project Address:
575 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
Building analysis
With his design for the Prada Flagship store in SoHo, Koolhaas reconceived the shopping experience into something dramatic and symbolic. The 23,000 sf space is consumed by a giant wave structure clad in zebra wood that visually and physically connects the ground floor with the basement. On one side of the store, the curve has steps and serves as a place for clothes and shoes to be shown. The other side of the half pipe is a steep curve that leads the eye back up to the ground level. With the push of a button, an event platform rotates out of the wave, and the stairs become seating for performances, film projections, and lectures.
Koolhaas wanted to incorporate a welcoming quality into this Prada store, a brand usually known for its exclusivity. The wave provides the perfect platform for openness and flexibility in the space, but its massive size takes over and leaves little room for shopping and circulation. Additionally, many environmentalists complained about the extensive use of rare zebra wood, and Prada has since pledged to never use this material again. Despite these criticisms, the design Koolhaas created for Prada successfully captured the pulse of the New York city shopper and reinvented the retail experience into one where the space is just as important as the goods.
Detail analysis
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References
Notes
Student contributions
- Susan Shaw, Spring 2008
External links
Additional resources
