"Eleven billowing white fiberglass panels, each stretching more than 65 feet high, fold around the front of Christian de Portzamparc’s flagship store for Christian Dior in Seoul." A narrow gap in the draped facade reveals the glazed entrance framed by a delicately perforated metal skin. The French architect pulled inspiration from the fashion designer’s body of work, expressing the movement and texture of fabric in the molded fiberglass. “He sculpted his toiles,” says de Portzamparc, who also captured the designer’s spirit in the building’s rectilinear back portion, which bears Dior’s geometrical cannage motif on its anodized aluminum cladding. Located in the heart of the Gangnam District, the boutique also houses a lounge, café, and numerous artworks, including a commanding chandelier- like installation in the entryway by Korean artist Lee Bul.
House of Dior
![House of Dior](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/11/1511-House-of-Dior-1.jpg?height=720&t=1450318723)
Christian De Portzamparc
Christian De Portzamparc
Seoul
Photo © Nelson Garrido
![House of Dior](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/11/1511-House-of-Dior-2.jpg?height=720&t=1450318723)
Christian De Portzamparc
Christian De Portzamparc
Seoul
Photo © Nelson Garrido
![House of Dior](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/11/1511-House-of-Dior-3.jpg?height=720&t=1450318723)
Christian De Portzamparc
Christian De Portzamparc
Seoul
Photo © Nelson Garrido
![House of Dior](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/11/1511-House-of-Dior-4.jpg?height=720&t=1450318724)
Christian De Portzamparc
Christian De Portzamparc
Seoul
Photo © Nelson Garrido
Seoul
Christian De Portzamparc