ForD. has upgraded its flagship store into ForD Avenue, a 15,000 m2 destination that brings the world’s leading home furnishing brands—forming a new luxury homeware community following Milan’s Durini. Responding to the expansion of both scale and display, the brand required a refreshed architectural identity. Say was commissioned to redesign the façade system, developing an approach that integrates brand recognition with design logic, infusing ForD Avenue with a “Golden Ambience.”
For this upgrade, Say proposed a design that balances the brand’s character with the need for efficient construction. The building was as if gently wrapped in a golden veil, created through groups of fixed metal panels in a well-considered composition. By adjusting the density and spacing of the vertical metal components, a subtle gradient and rhythmic visual effect were created. To accommodate the wind-load condition from the Qiantang River, all vertical elements are designed with a triangular section, which increases wind resistance and structural rigidity while maintaining the overall lightness of the wall.
During on-site construction, installers simply align each vertical component with the predefined module on the top and bottom metal rails and snap them into place to complete the assembly. This façade system has significantly simplified the on-site construction workflow and enabled installation to be completed within a week. Through the use of standardized module, Say achieves the balance between construction efficiency and aesthetic performance.
The alternating composition not only established rhythmic expression across the façade but also mediated the invitation of river views and natural light into the interior, creating an organic dialogue between architecture and its environment. This design language continues the façade logic that Say developed 3 years ago for the ForD Logistics Center renovation. Its reappearance on ForD Avenue represents more than a formal evolution but a deeper response to the brand’s identity and the cultural context of the chosen site.
The unveiling of the“golden curtain” has rebuilt the visual identity for ForD Avenue, but also marks the brand's strategy transformation from isolated flagship stores to an integrated urban retail district. It signifies the new phase in which ForD leads—a curated collection of premier global home furnishing brands, into the next stage.
