Aesop Scramble Square Store

City: Japan
Stage Involved: Concept to construction
Year/ Status: 2019, Completed
Accent Material: texture and smooth concrete. Infinity mirror at the sink.
Client: Aesop
Project Management: Kaoru Sekiya
Photo Credits: Aesop

The Shibuya river flows through Shibuya which known as the gathering area for the youth. At the redeveloped Shibuya Station and the new Scramble Square building, the river continues as an underground concrete channel. The store recalls the river with a deep infinity well at the centre of the store — two layers of mirror within the basin and a ceiling cavity create the illusion of looking down into the subterranean body of water. On the exterior, the basin is shrouded in smooth, waxed concrete; a rougher, pressed concrete on the interior refracts light onto the water’s surface.