Across the street from the 9/11 Memorial in New York, Brookfield Place, the former World Financial Center designed by César Pelli in the ’80s, is undergoing a transformation along with the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site and the opening of Santiago Calatrava’s transit hub (RECORD, April 2016). The office-building complex is not only luring tenants like Time Inc. but a spate of upscale food and retail businesses too. Among them, a new Saks Fifth Avenue satellite is notable for its elegant yet hip boutique style—a fresh take for the iconic department store.
Designed by London-based Found Associates, Saks Fifth Avenue Downtown is tucked into the first two stories of an octagonal pavilion at the base of a tower in the complex. Departing from the sharp edges of the exterior, principal Richard Found stacked a pair of glazed rotundas behind the faceted facade, wrapping the glass on the inside with fixed, brushed-brass louvers that filter sunlight into the sales areas. “This allows views out to the World Trade Center,” says Found. “At the same time, it provides a backdrop for the merchandise.”
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