2014
PRINTEMPS
PARIS
– FACADE
In the centre of Paris, the famous Department Store of Printemps underwent a refurbishment and Metis contributed developing the facade lighting scheme.
The original 1910 building acquired again its splendour with a contemporary touch. Printemps’ new façade is characterized by the use of the traditional materials used in the original Historical building but applied in a more contemporary way. The new glazed parts are the protagonist, and the lighting design comes to underline the surrounding alignments made of steel, as well as the decorative belt on the top of the façade. The lighting project was rather complex mainly because the research for the necessary fixtures, for being integrated in the façade was extensive and went through research, lighting tests and 1:1 scale mockups. The main goal was obtaining the right balance between the illumination of the architectural structure, as well as the coloured glazed parts bearing also the name of the building. Additionally, the complexity of the intervention consisted in the identification of the correct lighting fixture serving the desirable lighting effect while remaining less visible possible inside the overall façade elevation. Natural sunlight interacts with the dichroic glazed parts discerning colourful reflections. In the evening hours, each feature, from the facade belt to the glazed parts are highlit by a dedicated lighting fixture for homogeneous or more intense lighting, composing therefore a contemporary image with variable visual qualities attracting the pedestrian’s eye.
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