Herzog & de Meuron | Prada Aoyama: Rhombus Grid and Textured Glass

A pentagonal crystal volume, its entire skin composed of a diamond-shaped steel grid with glass panels embedded within. Not all glass panels are flat—some bulge outwards, some indent inwards, and some are flat, with these three curvatures randomly distributed. As a result, each glass panel reflects and refracts light differently, scattering the streetscape across the facade into countless distorted fragments, making the building constantly change. The grid also serves as the structure, with no columns inside. The corner volume recedes, creating a small paved forecourt with plantings. Shot in the evening, internal lighting illuminates each diamond grid, and the deformation of the convex and concave glass is clearly visible. Avoid: all glass panels being flat, the grid being orthogonal, adding a separate sign, the forecourt being filled.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一個五面體的水晶量體,整個外皮由菱形的鋼網格與嵌在其中的玻璃構成,而玻璃並非全部平整——部分向外鼓起、部分向內凹陷、部分為平面,三種曲率隨機分布。結果是每一片玻璃反射與折射的方式都不同,街景在立面上被打散成無數個扭曲的片段,建築因此永遠在變。網格同時是結構,室內沒有柱。角落的量體向後退縮,讓出一小塊鋪石的前庭與植栽。傍晚拍攝,內部照明讓菱格逐一亮起,凸凹玻璃的變形清晰可見。避免:玻璃全部平整、網格改為正交、加設獨立招牌、前庭被填滿。