Archive for January, 2009

Koolhaas’ Prada Transformer – Coming Soon

Despite the rough economic times, Prada is reportedly going ahead with plans to construct the Prada Transformer – a tetrahedron-shaped “transformative building” designed by star architect Rem Koolhaas. It will be situated on the grounds of Gyeonghui Palace in Seoul, Korea. It being located in Korea, speaks to the importance of the Asian market in a luxury goods environment that’s currently quite depressed.

Koolhaas, who also designed the Prada flagship store in Manhattan, describes the transformer as a “dynamic and living organism” because it transforms itself into different structures to suit various events. It is composed of four different shapes – a hexagon, cross, rectangle and circle. On the outside, the entire structure of the transformer will be wrapped with an elastic translucent membrane.

Scheduled to open at the end of March, the 65-foot high Prada Transformer will stage a range of art, cinema, culture and fashion events though August. Once per month, cranes will reportedly lift and rotate the structure into a different facade and floor plate configuration. Additionally, when rotated, each side will be the venue of a different cultural program.

See rendering of the Prada Transformer below.