Architecture View
Paul Goldberger
The New York Times
27 October 1996
...[John Pawson] possesses a razorsharp, unsentimental attitude toward design;
with its almost monastic austerity, the Calvin Klein store is about as far from
warm and cuddly as you can get. But it is a truly impressive piece of work, self-assured
and rigorous, and it creates a stunning setting for Mr Klein's products.
The stone floors, the walls coated with flat white paint and the floating, cantilevered
glass shelving leave all richness and texture to the clothing, heightening its
visual impact. Spectacular windows, 34 feet high and set within the classical
façade, create an exquisite counterpoint between old and new on the streetscape
and connect the life within the store to the life of the street. Thus, the unusual
environment within becomes a place that engages with the city instead of withdrawing.
The spaces are somewhat static - the narrow, closed-in stairs don't help - but
at least Mr Pawson understands the essence of minimalism, which is not just a
matter of eliminating things but of distilling what remains into something as
close to perfect as possible.
It brings to mind Strunk and White's 'Elements of Style', which counsels that
the essence of good writing is not brevity but 'that every word tell'.
With Mr Pawson, every architectural word tells. The silences, the spaces in between
- the space that is not filled up with something - are the silences that tell
as much as the words, and sometimes more. I will not exaggerate the importance
of this store and tell you that you feel cleansed by a walk through it. However,
you do feel that you are in the presence of design that demonstrates with consummate
intelligence the virtues of simplicity, and that communicates a sense of belief.