Translucent curving glass fins, demountable
Permasteelisa Gartner Hong Kong Limited · Hong Kong (fabrication) · locally manufactured glass, recycled
Phase 1 interim swatch — photography pending.
- Technique
- Vertical glass fins with curved edges, recycled and locally manufactured, integrated into demountable custom mounting brackets
- Family
- glass
- First appearance
- Issue 01 · tiffany-sanlitun
- Supplier / fabricator
- Permasteelisa Gartner Hong Kong Limited · Hong Kong (fabrication) · locally manufactured glass, recycled
Editor note
Vertical translucent glass fins with subtly curved edges, wrapping the full four-storey height of Tiffany Sanlitun Beijing. Each fin is recycled and locally manufactured — MVRDV is specific on both points. The fins carry a natural blue tone independent of any applied finish; colour intensifies as light passes through multiple layers. The design reference is Elsa Peretti's Bone Cuff — the translation from bracelet to building is held in the fin curvature. What makes this material entry distinctive is the engineering: the façade is designed to be demountable, with glass fins and mounting brackets removable without damage, enabling reuse or recycling at end-of-life. In luxury retail — where the economic incentive has historically pulled toward single-use envelope systems — a four-storey translucent glass envelope designed as a kit of parts is precedent. Permasteelisa Gartner is the global specialist for bespoke curtain walls (Apple flagships, BIG and Foster projects). Lighting is integrated directly into custom mounting brackets rather than applied; at night the façade reads as a Tiffany Blue lantern.
Specification notes
- 1,000 m² envelope, 20m height, four-storey wrap
- Recycled glass, locally manufactured
- Demountable engineering — key material argument
- Integrated bracket-mounted lighting (Cooley Monato Studio)
- Design inspiration: Elsa Peretti’s Bone Cuff bracelet