Swatch Takes Upscale Urban Retailing Vertical

When Swatch Group Japan was faced with building a new headquarters and showcase for their various upscale brands in Tokyo, they apparently rose to the challenge.

With a small footprint in which to highlight the Swiss watchmaker's various brands including Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Jaquet Droz, Léon Hatot, Omega and, of course, Swatch, the company turned to Shigeru Ban to find an elegant, open solution.

Using significant greenery, dramatic lighting and innovative technology, Shigeru Ban seems to have achieved an iconic Tokyo flagship building, in a city swamped with modern buildings. Indvidual hydraulic elevators rise out of the open lobby to the boutiques and office space above, giving the designers an elegant solution to the limits of tight urban streetfronts in a congested urban metropolis such as Tokyo.

Thanks to my friend David for the heads up on this neat intersection of modern design and architecture!