MVRDV recently completed the design of a retail store for luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. at Singapore Changi Airport. Inspired by vibrant 3D printed coral, the project uses recycled plastic partly from fishing nets to create the façade, aiming to catch the eye of weary travelers. The store is located in the main building of Singapore Changi Airport, which houses JewelChangi (home to the world's tallest indoor waterfall) designed by Moshe Safdie and completed by Aectual and BuroMilan.
The overall design of the facade is inspired by Singapore's coral reefs and is made of 3D printed plastic spliced into a blue cell-like pattern. It is combined with screen-printed glass in a gradient of colors, from Tiffany's signature robin's egg blue to the deep blue of the ocean. The plastic itself is layered by Aectual using its own 3D printing system to extrude a material called OceanrPPGF. The material is composed of 75% thermoplastic substrate recycled from a variety of recycled plastics, including fishing nets, a major polluter of the world's oceans.
The interior area of the Tiffany Singapore Changi store is 142 square meters (approximately 1,500 square feet) and is divided into upper and lower floors. The coral-themed display shelves and tables in the store display Tiffany’s luxury merchandise, further highlighting the marine theme.
MVRDV explains: "3D printing specialists Aectual developed a process to produce the 50mm (2in) thick screen from recycled plastic, including recycled and recycled fishing nets. By utilizing this unusual source of recycled plastic, the design not only draws inspiration from the ocean, but also plays a role in protecting it. A particularly challenging task was meeting strict regulations on fire safety at airports; here BuroMilan solved this problem by adding a chemical to the mix, which is also created using seawater."
MVRDV is no stranger to designing recycled store facades for high-end jewelry manufacturers, having previously designed facades made from recycled glass bottles for Bulgari in Shanghai.