The project was commissioned by LVMH, the parent company of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior, the redevelopment involves a complete overhaul of the 19th-century department store that closed down in 2005 after nearly 40 years of decline, creating an all-new shopping centre. The architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa proposed demolishing several structures at the rear of the site and replacing the building's historic facades with a new transparent skin, which they described as "a set of etched glass waves".
Samaritaine by LVMH statement,
"Once again, la Samaritaine is astonished at the ruling handed down by the Paris Administrative Court on January, 5th, concerning its architectural plans for the reconstruction of the Rivoli parcel, particularly since the Court acknowledges the intrinsic merit of the façade project as conceived and designed by the Sanaa architectural firm, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2010. It has therefore decided to appeal the decision."
The critics groups argued that the new structure wouldn't fit in with the area's 18th and 19th century Haussmann style and claimed the new facade would look like a shower curtain.
The appeal is led by heritage groups the SOS Paris and Society for the Protection of Landscapes and Aesthetics. The two organisations in their statement described the ruling as "wise and reasoned" and said,
"Beyond the emblematic case of La Samaritaine, the issue is of the place of contemporary architecture in historic centres. The Parisians must now claim this victory as the result of a democratic struggle led by the associations."
