Rogier van der Heide

This project was done at Arup

Louis Vuitton is an international brand that is world famous for its luggage, fashion and accessories. Louis Vuitton has a long tradition that dates back to 1854, when the firm invented the flat trunk as a safe and reliable way to transport your valuables. With my team, I have joined forces with Louis Vuitton since 2004, working in close collaboration with their architecture atelier to develop a lighting scheme that underlines their brand image of tradition, sophistication, luxury and innovation. The result is a fully integrated lighting concept that forms a seamless part of the Louis Vuitton experience.

Louis Vuitton’s briefing stated “reduced investments, running costs and HVAC load, easier implementation, and after all a better store image enhancing the brand’s identity of luxury and heritage.”

The innovative solution: I introduced HID fixtures that are hidden behind the ceiling, shedding their light through a narrow slot in the stucco. By cleaning up the ceiling (that before contained hundreds of tungsten fixtures) the lighting scheme has become an architectural element as well.

After a number of highly successful trials, the lighting concept is now being rolled out to Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

photos with this article: Michael van Oosten
architect: Peter Marino and Louis Vuitton Dept. Architecture
lighting concept: Rogier van der Heide, Sheela Sankaram
Arup project team: Rogier van der Heide, Sheela Sankaram, Junko Inomoto