Printemps Haussmann's colorful 24-ton vertical veil by Uufie presents a grand entrance

The Haussmann Boulevard store of prominent Parisian fashion brand Printemps has a new look, which features a gigantic colorful veil that towers through nine floors at the heart of the building. After winning the 2013 competition, Toronto-based architecture studio Uufie designed the immersive veil as part of Printemps' new atrium that would facilitate vertical movement and allow visitors to see all the store's levels.

Read more about the project below.

The concept for the project is based on a vertical dome, or a veil, that penetrates the heart of the building. Showing off a pretty pattern of about 17,200 colorful petal-shaped Dichroic glass perforations, the new veil pays homage to Printemps' iconic stained-glass domes back in 1894. 

Despite weighing 24 tons, the veil appears to float in front of the building's vertical circulation and it also features a glass floor and mirror ceiling. At 25.5 meters tall and 12.5 meters wide, the veil is made from white painted aluminum panels. The iridescent Dichroic glass changes colors when viewed at different angles.

“The combination of two-dimensional curved panels gives the veil's overall three-dimensional shape. The veil is mirrored to create the image of a bi-convex geometric space, a completed symmetry that can be seen from the side, top, and below. On the retail interior, the veil is perforated to allow interior lighting to transfer.”

Completed in January 2017, the veil took only eight months to build while the store remained open for business. Most recently, the project was shortlisted in the 2017 World Architecture Festival Restoration & Renovation and Best Use of Color categories.