Sephora is one of the World’s foremost authorities on beauty. The brand has wide recognition for its black and white color scheme and signature S-shaped logo. But for the company’s Robson Street location in downtown Vancouver, their brand was taken to the next level with a unique sculptural element.
Photography ©Daniel Lunghi courtesy of Alucobond USA
As the manufacturers at Alucobond USA describe, “… [the Robson Street location] not only included Sephora’s logo as part of its storefront décor but took corporate branding to a new level in the form of a custom two-sided dimensional sunscreen that captures the “S”-shaped flame in its negative space.”
Photography ©Daniel Lunghi courtesy of Alucobond USA
The sunscreen is composed of 4mm Alucobond natural Brushed composite material fabricated by Keith Panel Systems (KPS). The nearly 10,000 square-foot retail outlet is Sephora’s largest in the Canadian market. The architects at Francl Architecture worked closely with Sephora’s corporate designers on the store’s design. Scott Mitchell, AIBC B. Arch BFA, senior associate at Francl Architecture explains, “We got behind the idea of a sculptural décor element. Its purpose would be to allow light into the store in an interesting way while minimizing cosmetics’ exposure to solar radiation.”
Interestingly, the sunscreen is composed of 32 individual, two-sided, flame elements. Each of the elements sits 10 feet high and is 1.5 feet wide. The team at KPS was responsible for the design, engineering and mock ups of the screens, also completing their fabrication and installation.
The Brushed finish on the Alucobond panels features a Lumiflon FEVE resin topcoat. The topcoat allows for unparalleled gloss and color retention and also prevents against both chalking and fading. Additionally, the use of a high-performance fluoropolymer topcoat will ensure protection against elemental deterrents that contribute to degradation.
As Mitchell further states, “We are very happy with how this sculptural sunscreen turned out. It’s been very well-received. It’s a great feature to the Sephora Robson Street Store.”
All information and photography courtesy of Alucobond USA
Photography © Daniel Lunghi Photography
Categories Architecture