La Montre Hermès joined forces with architect Toyo Ito to create its BaselWorld 2013 pavilion located in the heart of the venue.

Its design is a testament to Hermès’ values: craftsmanship, a commitment to work carried out by hand and to the noble elegance of natural materials, and an appreciation of precision and innovation.

Toyo Ito has imagined a two-storey box measuring 34 metres long and 19 metres wide, with a total area of 1,040 sq.m. Its steel framework is clad with 624 wooden strips, some straight, some curved.

These interlocking slats form an outer mesh, and this façade covers a second inner structure made of wood, glass and metal. Between these two “skins”, 167 plants form a corridor of greenery.

The design is organic, brought to life with movement akin to the swell of the sea. It appears to tremble in the wind. Its skin of wooden slats, hanging like a skirt, moves with broad and dynamic undulations.

With its entrance positioned in the corner, the pavilion appears to cut through the waves like the bow of a ship. As they enter, visitors will sense the serenity of the atrium. A staircase in wood and metal takes visitors up to the mezzanine. Naturally dyed fabrics, so evocative of the world of Hermès, line the spaces like the bark of a tree, giving them a sense of warmth and intimacy.

Finally, glass cases dotted around the edge of the room and within display Hermès latest watch-making creations. Blossoming like metallic flowers, they take their place in the perpetual creative cycle.

Hermès booth at Baselworld 2013 is located at Hall 1.1, Booth B55 – Source: Cosmone.com.