bjarke ingels group designs new flagship store for galeries lafayette on the champs-élysées

galeries lafayette, the leading french department store, has shared with us images of its new flagship venue on the champs-élysées. the project, which opened on march 28, 2019, occupies a total of 6,500 square meters (70,000 square feet) — the largest retail space on paris’ most iconic avenue. the interior of the 1930s art deco building, which was formerly a bank, has been transformed by bjarke ingels group (BIG), who sought to create a platform for expression for both visitors and brands.

all images courtesy of galeries lafayette

enhanced by a series of digital innovations, BIG’s design for the new galeries lafayette champs-élysées features a bold layout that enables visitors to move naturally between a range of spaces spread across the store’s four interconnected floors. the building is entered via a tunnel that leads visitors into the heart of the store. from here, glass stairs contrast against the building’s existing staircase, while expressing a sense of transparency that permeates the scheme.

conceived as indoor shop windows, six hanging glass boxes provide a place to showcase new brands and products. BIG also designed the store’s furniture. at ground level, a golden ring encircles the atrium — simultaneously blending into the building’s architecture while providing a new approach to merchandising. ‘galeries lafayette is a pioneer of city-centre retailing,’ explains bjarke ingels. ‘this new flagship is the perfect symbol of its desire to create stores that are places people inhabit and engage with, and not simply sales outlets.’

‘to create an invitation to enter, ascend and explore, we have designed a handful of elements that find themselves at the intersection of architecture and furniture. rather than messing with the old bones of the building or delineating function with walls – the program has been provided with a family of pavilions that may change and transform over time. the raw space has an almost urban scale and character that makes it capable of accommodating even the wildest interventions, which makes me excited to imagine what I might expect to find here next time I come back.’ comments ingels.

the flagship offers a range of spaces devoted to shopping, dining, and events. the ground floor is described as an immersive and eventful space with pop-up stores and a beauty area. the first floor is dedicated to contemporary fashion, while the second storey houses timeless luxury brands and creative labels. meanwhile, the basement food court presents a range of places to eat and socialize.

‘our project design is a tribute to the architectural materials and traditions of the past,’ ingels continues. ‘as they stroll through the store, visitors are going to be able to discover historic features that are reinterpreted and implemented in a contemporary way. the spaces develop and transform through architectural artifacts that create an environment that’s both fluid and unique, for mixed uses. for example, the furniture in the footwear spaces is designed like a sort of magic carpet- bench where customers can sit down to try on the products. and the ‘podium’ staircase becomes a stunning viewing point from which to admire the champs-elysées’.

galeries lafayette, a long-standing patron of contemporary design and urban heritage projects, is currently contributing to the avenue’s revamp by supporting the restoration of the rond-point des champs-elysées fountains, which have been re-imagined by ronan and erwan bouroullec. inaugurated in march 2019, they rotate at the same speed as the people walking past them, acting as a slow, poetic balance to the avenue’s hustle and bustle.

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project info:

client: galeries lafayette group

size: 73,100 ft2 / 6,800 m2 

location: paris, france

architect: BIG – bjarke ingels group

collaborators: SRA architectes (local architect), SETEC (MEP), AR-C (structural engineer), SNAIK (lighting designer), theater project (acoustic consultants), cabinet vanguard (cost consultants, arch specs), BIG interiors (interior design)

BIG – bjarke ingels group

partners-in-charge: bjarke ingels, jakob sand

project managers: karim muallem, gabrielle nadeau

project leaders: karim muallem, gabrielle nadeau, xavier delanoue (architecture); francesca portesine, pauline lavie-luong (furniture)

team: agla sigridur egilsdottir, alvaro garcia, amro abdelsalam, anis souissi, anna juzak, aurelie frolet, catalina rivera, christian lopez, clementine huck, dimitrie grigorescu, emily pickett, emine halefoglu, enea michelesio, ethan duffey, étienne duval, filip milovanovic, francisco javier sarria salazar, gerhard pfeiler, hugo yun tong soo, hye-min cha, jakob lange, janie green, joanna m. lesna, josé carlos de silva, katarzyna swiderska, laurent de carnière, lucas stein, lucian racovitan, malgorzata mutkowska, marie lancon, miguel rebelo, monika dauksaite, paula domka, philip rufus knauf, quentin blasing, rahul girish, ramona montecillo, raphael ciriani, sergi sauras i collado, stefano zugno, taylor fulton, terrence chew, thomas sebastian krall, thomas smith, tomas karl ramstrand, tracy sodder, yesul cho