Japanese architectural firm Jun Aoki & Associates has unveiled a remarkable new flagship store for luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co in Tokyo's prestigious Ginza shopping district. The 66-meter-tall mixed-use building features an innovative exterior design composed of translucent glass panels that create a flowing, curved facade finished in the iconic Tiffany Blue color.

Located on a prominent corner plot in Ginza, the 13-story structure primarily houses Tiffany & Co retail spaces, while the upper floors accommodate offices and restaurants. The building's distinctive exterior was carefully designed to both integrate with and distinguish itself from Ginza's diverse architectural landscape, which studio founder Jun Aoki describes as having a "mosaic-like" character.

"We were very conscious that the design could easily become too rigid and imposing. So, early on, our core vision was a 'facade like a wisteria trellis swaying in the soft wind'," Aoki explained. "For this large project, we couldn't just do a single massive facade nor a patchwork. To make sure it didn't look too heavy, we needed a subtle 'shimmer' that would both fit in and stand out."

The building's structure has been strategically divided into three distinct volumes to differentiate its various functions, with this division emphasized by a terrace on the fourth floor and another recess toward the top. The most striking feature of the design is the individual curved glass panels that wrap around the building's exterior, creating bulging edges at the corners that give the structure its dynamic, flowing appearance.

According to Jun Aoki & Associates, each rippled glass panel was designed with a unique curved shape, presenting significant technical challenges during construction. The three-dimensional curved glass panels account for 25 percent of the total surface area and are attached to an inner glazed facade using specialized supports. "Not only does each panel have a unique curved shape, but the angle of the supporting marionettes also varies at each support point," Aoki noted. The panels are also designed to be removable to facilitate future maintenance work.

The curved glass panels elegantly wrap around and above the store's ground level, revealing a fully glazed front entrance. A signed entrance positioned at the street corner provides clear guidance for visitors entering the luxury retail space. Inside the store, Tiffany & Co occupies four floors plus a basement level, featuring glass display cabinets backed by sheer curtains that complement the building's glazed facades.

To ensure optimal lighting conditions for displaying jewelry and luxury goods, the architects implemented a specialized ceramic printing technique on the exterior panels. This innovation prevents blue-hued light from the Tiffany Blue exterior from affecting the interior lighting environment, maintaining ideal conditions for showcasing the store's precious merchandise.

The upper floors, which house offices and restaurants, feature carpeted interiors enclosed by full-height windows and are complemented by open-air terraces that provide outdoor space for occupants. The mixed-use nature of the building demonstrates how luxury retail can be successfully integrated with other commercial functions in dense urban environments.

This project represents another significant achievement for Jun Aoki & Associates in creating distinctive retail architecture in Tokyo. The firm previously completed Louis Vuitton's Tokyo store with a pearlescent facade and designed the brand's flagship Osaka location featuring curving glass sails. These projects establish Aoki as a leading architect in luxury retail design, particularly in creating facades that balance innovation with contextual sensitivity.

The Tiffany & Co store joins other notable recent retail projects in Tokyo's Ginza district, where architects are increasingly experimenting with innovative materials and design approaches to create memorable shopping destinations. The building stands as a testament to how contemporary architecture can honor both brand identity and urban context while pushing the boundaries of technical innovation in facade design.