Royal de Versailles’ Rolex Boutique Toronto | partisans

PARTISANS form materials. In their early projects, they sculpted Cedar for the Grotto Sauna, CNC'd Mahogany for Bar Raval, until very recently at their Canvas House, for which they worked with masons to place over 16,200 bricks onto a custom square-shaped "Voxel-Bond" pattern reminiscent of the dot paintings of artist Larry Poons.

Mere months later, in January 2024, Alex Josephson and his team at PARTISANS revealed a digitally fabricated limestone facade for Royal de Versailles Jeweller’s new Rolex boutique in Toronto. "Stone is future heritage," says Josephson, "it's having a renaissance."

Royal de Versailles’ Rolex boutique has taken over the ground level of a modernist high-rise along the city's sought-after shopping strip, Bloor Street. Royal de Versailles partnered with PARTISANS to distinguish its architectural presence from the other upscale boutiques that comprise Canada's most glamorous neighborhood. And PARTISANS delivered. Known for ambitious design and future-forward research, they teamed up with the Italian architect Arturo Tedeschi, leveraging computational design and cutting-edge technologies for this façade.

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.

Ian Pica-Limbaseanu, one of PARTSANS’ designers, attributes the success of the facade to "the digital stone connecting sinuously with the existing exterior and the new interior." He adds that "there are key moments (i.e., where the stone meets the mullions of the existing facade above and where the stone meets the rounded glass showcases of the interior) where precision is paramount. Each stone bay was cut according to measurements found through 3D scans of the existing building. The window detailing, specifically, had a tall order of requirements to satisfy; not only did it need to meet the exterior stonework at exact locations accurate to within 1/4", but it also needed to allow for easy maintenance and proper energy performance for what was otherwise an utterly unprecedented look to glazing on Bloor street.“

Moreover, on the east façade, a CNC parametric composition is etched into the limestone. This composition is produced by an algorithmic design developed in collaboration with computational designer Arturo Tedeschi. The result is a harmonious, innovative play with materials that capture the essence of Royal de Versailles and Rolex's timeless legacy. Tedeschi describes collaborating with PARTISANS as "a remarkably smooth and productive experience, which allowed for a seamless exchange of ideas." He adds, "The clear, precise boundaries set by PARTISANS ensured all our interactions were focused and effective while their deep understanding of the value of algorithmic modeling significantly enhanced the project, enabling us to transform complex data into meaningful forms." 

Lead Architects: Alex Josephson (President, Lead Architect – PARTISANS), Ian Pica Limbaseanu (project manager – PARTISANS), Arturo Tedeschi (Computational designer) 

Other participants: Arturo Tedeschi (Computational Designer), Burnac (Builder), Masonry installer (Finbarr Sheehan), PICCO Engineering (Structural engineer), Entuitive (Building Envelope) Code (Senez Consulting)

Photography: Doublespace photography (https://www.doublespacephoto.com/)