Seguin Fashion Center

• What was the concept behind the project?

The history of fashion in France is long and has gone through several changes that have revolutionized the way we see fashion today.

Nowdays, the environmental impact caused by this industry, and especially by the events that it entails, is a growing concern, so it’s in transition and in search of a more sustainable future that reduces the ecological footprint and the amount of waste it generates.

Motivated by this state the form the geometry takes inspiration from which this project begins and is deconstructed from a sewing machine.

The symbolism and meaning behind the main idea is the future to which fashion seeks to go, retaking the initial values it had through haute couture, artisanal production and tailor-made garments that undoubtedly have many advantages over the model of fast fashion that produces thousands of garments per year in an industrialized way, which generates thousands of waste, pollution and waste of water.

Taking reference to the initial plan shape inspired by a sewing machine, the volume of our project is built, generating spaces that embrace and guide the user from a common area (small square) to the interior of the enclosure.

The forms and geometry combine to generate spaces that flow like the Seine River, but at the same time the quality and elegance of the forms is perceived, generating a set worthy of the fashion industry.

For the volumetric form of the project we took some principles of composition from the book Form, Order and Space by F. Ching. First, transformation when the generative form is manipulated, simplifying and deconstructing it. This principle was used to generate the volume, taking the shape of a sewing machine, we deconstructed and manipulated it to create the form that adapted to our ideals and needs. We also used the addition and subtraction of forms to generate the needed spaces and the open areas on the site.

In addition to that, the book also tells us that the element by which the spaces of the complex are distributed  called guideline and, in this case, we consider that the guideline of the project are the central stairs. This architectural element is very important because it separates the areas of coexistence and meeting from the most important, the areas of specialization of the enclosure that would be the fashion runways, workshops and areas where the most important events will be concentrated, in addition, these give fluidity and direction to the whole place as if it were a river.

• What was the intent behind the organization of elements across various levels?

The convention center is designed to host fashion-related events, but also to host non-fashion-related events in general, so that it is a place that is always in use and does not depend only on fashion events. This is why the restaurant and meeting room are separated from the more specialized areas such as workshops and fashion runways, so as not to mix public and fashion events.

In order not to waste the views provided by the Seine River, we thought of a route in which we could appreciate them and added large side windows along the central ramps of the building.

• How many iterations were tried to arrive at the final outcome?

To arrive at the final results we had to rethink the questions we were asking ourselves. At first we were concerned about the fact that we wanted to create something meaningful and that was at the level of the wide and demanding world of fashion, for that reason we asked ourselves questions such as what has been the most relevant in the world of fashion? how can we create an impact to people who are inside the fashion world when we know so little about it? As we asked ourselves questions like these, no matter how much we created extravagant designs trying to answer them, it was never enough.

We were focusing too much on what fashion meant when the question we should be asking was where should fashion go from here?

Overall, we had to analyze the project about three times. The first time, we were on the wrong way, creating architectural designs as if it were a dress to wear on a fashion runway, so to speak. The second design had no specific meaning, as we were undecided between taking fashion itself as concept or the sustainable future of fashion as a concept, so in the last proposed design, we settled on the last one.

• Which methods of design investigation?/ How was the programme condensed into final?

First of all, we had to investigate the project site, climate, sunlight, vegetation, regulations, history of the place itself, etc. And studying this place we realized that it has had several changes throughout its history. It went from being an industrial place to a special place for culture with high-class buildings, which for us represented another challenge, since we could not be left behind.

To try to come up with the concept, we had to dive a little into the history of fashion in general and in France. This consultation was necessary to realize the problems that exist in terms of fast fashion and the environment, and use a possible solution as a metaphor in the building concept.

To create the shape, first several drawings were made, both two-dimensional and in volumetric perspective until we found one that we liked and that adapted to the spaces we needed. So we started working on it in 3d software observe better and being abble to modify.

• What is the expansion plan of the project? /How will the project transform with the passing time? etc.

We hope that with the pass of time the project will become a reference site in the world of fashion, that it meets the needs ofi t and that, if necessary, its spaces will be transformed, taking advantage of the versatility of both the interior and exterior areas.