Nicolas G. Hayek Center

Project Details

Project Description

From the Architects:

Nicolas G. Hayek Center, the new headquarter building for Swatch Group Japan is located in Ginza, the most elegant area for shopping and dining in Tokyo. The fourteen story high building houses the seven major watch shops of Swatch Group at first basement to fourth floor, customer service and offices at 5th to 13th floor, a hall at 14th floor, and mechanical parking lots at the second basement floor.

The building Concept originates from the context of Ginza, line up with a large number of elegant　shops and high-classed restaurants on both Ginza street and surrounding back streets. To reflect the feature of Ginza into the building, the exterior of the building is covered with four-story-high glass shutters at the front and back façades. Once the glass shutters are opened, the building will be a street in Ginza that anyone can walk through. The interior wall along the large atrium is filled with vegetation to make the shops domain, customer domain, and office domain in a vertical and continuous green park.

To make the seven shops from the first basement floor to the fourth floor with easy accessibility, large glassed showroom elevators welcome the customers. Seven showroom elevators for each brand allow customers direct access to the main shop floor from Plaza at the ground floor. The Plaza called “Watch Street” with seven large showroom elevators and the vertical green wall will be a lively and dynamic place for anyone who steps into the building.

For more information about Shigeru Ban's 2014 Pritzker Prize, please read http://www.architectmagazine.com/architecture/shigeru-ban-architects-wins-the-2014-pritzker-prize_o.aspx