Building with the essence of a brand, using 6,000 bars of soap to shape the walls of a large container, was the idea carried out last April as the presentation of the latest store of the Australian brand Aesop, located in Piazza Cordusio in Milan, executed by the Belgian architect Nicolas Schuybroek.
The temporary proposal presented at Salone del Mobile in Milan was the result of a fruitful dialogue between the architect Nicolas Schuybroek and the artistic director of the brand, Ai Kato, to achieve one of the premises of modern architecture, with a slight variation, changing form follows function, to "form follows formulation" the title with which the work was presented.
Formulation is a concept Nicolas Schuybroek considers central for his practice: "In my office we always kick-off with concept, context and research before digging into designing. In that way we develop a clear formulation before creating. This formulation can change during the process. But for us formulation works as a compass during a project".
For the formulation of the Aesop installation Nicolas decided to use soap bars as architectural material: "a sort of brickwork". The architect is not new to such use of daily functional household items as works of art. This is both a way to elevate the ordinary to an extraordinary level – following his minimalist philosophy – and to link different worlds: "The soap bar did not only symbolize the practice of bathing, cleaning and self-care, but also the practice of architecture".
Nicolas Schuybroek's project transformed the store days before its official opening on May 5 into a work of sensorial art, feeling through smell, using Aesop bar soaps as the main material, to create a sensual envelope of aromatic walls. A minimalist idea that has been combined with the brand's philosophy for 37 years.This scenography focuses on self-care, skin science and the importance of the senses, with a particular emphasis on touch. A space that invites the customer to participate by letting themselves go when lying down on a rectangular surface, a performative act intoxicated by aromas1.
"The Arte Povera movement from the late 60s and 70s inspires the scenography. This movement has inspired my practice for many years and shaped the basis of this project for Aesop, known for its minimalist packaging." ——Nicolas Schuybroek
We were granted this unique location in the heart of London just as Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2024 was wrapping up. Our store design team was dismounting an installation by Nicolas Schuybroek—Form Follows Formulation—which had inhabited Aesop’s Piazza Cordusio store in Milan for the duration of the design week. Inspired by the Arte Povera movement from the late 60s and 70s, and echoing Superstudio’s contemporaneous monochromatic grid structures, Schuybroek had taken one of the most fundamental, functional household items—a bar of soap—to create an unconventional sculpture. Slabs of Aesop soap appeared to hover, en masse, in grid formation, supported by a slender timber structure that could be readily disassembled and reused in different locations. The Knightsbridge lease, fortuitously, presented an opportunity for the almost immediate re-deployment of this striking assembly.
Nicolas Schuybroek事务所由Nicolas Schuybroek于2011年创立，秉持小规模的理念。Nicolas Schuybroek建筑师事务所的核心团队包括Nicolas Schuybroek、Vincent Bauquis、Max De Decker、Thierry Pouilliart、Barbara Huszar、Nick Lammens、Tiago Clérigo、Azul Klix和Julia van de Graaf。我们的工作哲学无法被局限于或用我们处理的项目类型或规模来描述。每个项目都是独一无二的，深受环境、客户的愿望和期望以及我们与客户建立的紧密关系的影响。
我们的工作需要时间、激情和耐心。我们享受其中。
我们的工作是对深层次实质和温暖的追求。在早期设计阶段，这个过程通常会变得形而上学。自古以来，人类一直在建造以保护自己，但我们的工作为这一定义增添了额外的层次。尽管建筑通常被描述为其本质上的物质主义，我们追求建筑作为创造宁静、保护甚至治愈氛围的方式。
我们的工作深深植根于Gesamtkunstwerk的概念，即建筑、室内、艺术和家具融为一个“建筑物”的概念。我们对创造“炫耀型”建筑不感兴趣，而是通过拥抱材料和物体的本质。我们所做的可能看起来很简单，但只是表面现象。我们努力激发情感，定义一种新型的空间诗学。
左右滑动查看更多近期案例
DOMANI东仓建设 | 喜鹊 · 南京玄武湖
