Karl Lagerfeld collaborated with architect Zaha Hadid to develop an event to mark the 50th year of the Chanel handbag. Chanel Mobile Art was conceptualized as a touring contemporary art exhibition celebrating the iconic Chanel handbag.

The main challenge ES Projects faced with this project was the practical realisation of the Lagerfeld, Hadid vision and the constant struggle between aesthetics and practicality.  Hadid is known for daringly curvaceous highly futuristic designs, most of them remaining on the drawing board for years, until the building professions can catch up with her prodigious imagination.  

ES Projects was contracted to manage the Design and Build process, and to tour and install the structure on behalf of Chanel in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York.  

The contract was agreed in June 2007 giving ES Projects 7 months before it was to be constructed on top of the Star Ferry multi-storey car park, Hong Kong.  While the creative vision had been developed, a feasible design was a long way from complete.  To overcome the complexities of the design, a new material was developed from which 300 unique, torqued, plastic components were moulded, from which the structure was built.    

As well as accurately realizing the creative vision, developing a wholly tourable entity provided an environmental and sustainable solution to the design brief. The pavilion’s transient nature renders it wholly sustainable and continually reusable within the life of its components.  

Iconic sites were selected in each city to complement the brand however, their prominent locations inevitably created logistical complications.  In Hong Kong the pavilion was built on top of the Star Ferry Car Park, which had to be shored-up to support the 700 tonne structure, and all the plant required for the build had to be craned onto the car park roof. In New York, the Pavilion was constructed in Central Park, which saw numerous restrictions including the hours the site could be accessed and the types of vehicles that could be used.  

Due to the short lead time of the project, considering the numerous design requirements, the design was scheduled on a “just in time” basis planned in reverse based on the construction, delivery and manufacture sequencing. Consequently, long lead time and early construction items were prioritized in the design process. In addition, key personnel were seconded onto the design team to ensure a feasible design and the smooth transfer of information from design to construction phase.  

The Pavilion opened in Hong Kong in February 2008 before moving onto Yoyogi Park, Tokyo in May 2008 and Central Park, New York in October 2008. The Pavilion was designed and built, to the client’s specification, as a demountable structure, and all the components were designed and built to travel in 70 ISO-sized shipping containers. The pavilion attracted 100,000 visitors in its world tour and received prolific media coverage.

Images John Linden