Reiss Headquarters - Exterior

Squire and Partners wanted to project a strong brand message to the public both day and night. They used the facade for the 5-story building as a dynamic and translucent filter that changes from day to night, aided by LED lights changing color. Instead of concealing the entire building behind an opaque wall, the architects chose this type of a veil that still provides the privacy for the inside but opens enough to allow glimpse of light and movement from the inside.

This was achieved by highly engineered acrylic that was vertically milled to mimic fabric draping across the facade. Needless to say, the fabrication process was just as intricate in the design of the facade. In order to achieve the concept of "glowing" facade visible from the street, the acrylic had to have a very high light conductivity. LED light strips were attached to the base of each panel that would uplight. Also, the acrylic rainscreen formed part of a triple skin facade that aided cooling/heating during the summer and winter months. The acrylic is supported at the foot of each panel.