Toronto, Canada

Led by Alex Josephson, Canada-based architects Partisans have completed Toronto’s new Rolex flagship store located at the ground level of a modernist high-rise along the city’s sought-after shopping strip, Bloor Street, one of Canada’s most glamorous neighborhoods.

The most prominent feature of the store is its limestone sculptural façade made in collaboration the Italian architect Arturo Tedeschi, that is known for ambitious design and future-forward research.

Against the steel of the modernist high-rise, the digitally fabricated limestone – sculpted fluidly – offers a magnetic juxtaposition, a symphony of texture, form, and glamour.

The rhythm of the columns recalls the patterns of a watch’s band. Fluid cuts in the stone contrast the base building’s rigidity, yet the two seamlessly integrate down into the mullions of the storefront.

As the mullions trace down the exterior of the high-rise, they begin to slowly bend into subtle and graceful arcs that capture the essence between the existing structure and distinctive, contemporary geometries.

“Against the steel of the modernist high-rise, the digitally fabricated limestones – sculpted fluidly – offer a magnetic juxtaposition,” says the architects.

“Integrated down into the mullions of the storefront, the rhythm of the columns recalls the patterns of a watch’s band links.”

Limestone is also the protagonist of the store’s interior creating the perfect environment for displaying Rolex’s Watch collection offering an ultra luxurious shopping experience.

Project: Rolex Boutique Toronto
Architects: PARTISANS
Lead Architect: Alex Josephson
Project Leader: Ian Pica-Limbaseanu
Façade Architects: Arturo Tedeschi
Client: Rolex S.A., ‭Royal De Versailles Jewellers Inc., and Burnac
Photographers: Doublespace Photography