Aesop | Williamsburg
Aesop Williamburg was Parkbench Architect’s first ever project with Aesop and their in-house designer Cyril Marsollier. Existing timber columns, beams and wood flooring remain exposed to celebrate the building’s former industrial life, and the new storefront brings in more natural light through the brick, arch-topped windows. The technical challenges were great in detailing the angled, tiled wall, and how to seamlessly and covertly integrate a new HVAC system. Gathering inspiration from the ubiquitous nature of the East River to this neighborhood, this store is an exploration of how one can evoke the ephemeral quality of light on the river in hard, fixed materials.
Aesop | Park Slope
This special corner store in Park Slope was designed as a collaboration with award-wining architect Frida Escobedo. Escobedo was inspired by the neighborhood’s architecture with its repeating, angled facades and intricate brickwork. Although beautiful, the interior brickwork is not lightweight so Parkbench Architects modified the existing structure to accommodate Escobedo’s innovative brick ‘weaving’ technique.
Aesop | Greenwich, CT
Collaborator/Year: Aesop, Wallo Villacorta, New York Engineers, I-Resolve NYC (2018)
Working with Wallo Villacorta from Aesop’s in-house design team, Aesop Greenwich Connecticut draws inspiration from traditional Japanese use of materials, methods of construction, and wood joinery techniques. Nestled along the tree-lined Greenwich Ave, the store emanates harmony and warmth.
Aesop | Roosevelt Field, NJ
Collaborator/Year: Aesop, Cyril Marsollier-Desir, AH Engineering, Dickinson Cameron (2019)
Aside from their exquisite products, Cyril Marsollier from Aesop’s in-house design team sure does know how to draw inspiration from and elevate a non-descript mall storefront. Finding inspiration in I.M. Pei’s work and Brian Ulrich’s photographs of shopping centers, parking lots and casinos- where monolithic forms become vast sculptural elements- Aesop created a unique presence in this Long Island, NY mall. Utilizing the curved nature of the storefront, speckled penny tiles create a soft, uniform surface that invites passers-by without immediately revealing the interior experience.
ROLE
Architect of Record