on the site of a previously existing louis vuitton store in seoul, frank gehry has designed a new ?maison? for the fashion house that celebrates its strong relationship with korean culture. located in the city?s gangnam district, the building is the architect?s first creation in south korea and shares many similarities with the fondation louis vuitton in paris ? also designed by gehry. as well as the different ?retail universes? designed by peter marino, the building also includes a space on the upper level that currently hosts an exclusive collection of giacometti sculptures.

all images by yong joon choi
 
 
the entire front of the structure is clad with glass, beginning with a high zig-zagging vestibule and window, leading up to a series of enclosed terraces. the façade culminates in waves of louvered panels, which frank gehry designed to give the impression of flight. ?what struck me when I first visited seoul nearly 25 years ago, was the relationship between the architecture and the natural landscape,? gehry explains. ?I still remember clearly the powerful impressions I had stepping up from the garden of jongmyo shrine.?
 
 
louis vuitton maison seoul?s windows present a colorful cluster of paper trees, developed in collaboration with frank gehry. dyed with vivid pigment, these to scale sculptures are inspired by the architect?s models of trees, which are crafted from a single piece of paper. inside, the building?s five floors contain a host of ?retail universes...