Giorgio Armani has exacting standards – just one of the factors that made this one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by Speirs + Major. In fact Ginza was a series of projects under a single roof: the exterior facade, the Emporio Armani Store, the Giorgio Armani Store, a restaurant, a private bar and a spa (in collaboration with L’Oreal).

While the different areas and brands are clearly differentiated there is an overall synergy between them all, as well as between the exterior and interior. Integration, although difficult in a retail environment where flexibility is key, was essential for the purist company image.

The concept for the facade was based on the theme of a bamboo forest. The bamboo stems and leaves extend over the entire length and width of the 12-story façade. The stalks are composed of fluorescent and cold cathode tubes. Interspersed among the stems are specially created leaf shapes, each backlit with an array of RGB LEDs that are controlled by a video server and media player to produce a twinkling effect. The inspiration was of leaves blowing in the wind. A perfect golden colour was achieved through painstaking experimentation.

The bamboo motif continues in the interior spaces with the leaf theme used as a ceiling feature providing general light. Golden mesh inlaid into glass is lit from above with concealed tungsten halogen, creating the sense of floating fabric. Lighting control allows a subtle visual trick, dimming and intensifying the light so that the mesh becomes more or less solid. Concealed light coves around the perimeter define the space. Merchandise is highlighted using a specially developed slot system with ceramic metal halide lamps.

By contrast, the more youthful Emporio Armani brand has a high contrast, nightclub feel. The polished black walls and ceiling are slashed with laser-cut slits backlit with cool fluorescent, which is mirrored and layered in the reflections. Again there is a dynamic element with the fluorescent backlight subtly dimming and intensifying in a series of waves.

The luxurious and intimate restaurant and bar spaces reprise the facade theme. Dappled golden light in the form of a bamboo leaf motif is projected on to the floor in the restaurant and down on to the gold tables in the bar area.

Like a Japanese paper lantern whose beauty lies in its simplicity, the success of Armani Ginza is the lighting's integration with the architecture to convey a series of distinct experiences culminating in a unified whole.