The Union Square Retail Ceiling Cloud
Retail in Union Square is about spectacle. A luxury watch brand needed a flagship store design that would stop pedestrians in their tracks. The lease had a restrictive no attachment clause for the historic plaster ceiling, meaning we could not hang heavy chandeliers. The client wanted a floating cloud lighting installation that felt ethereal and high-tech. The challenge was designing a massive, intricate structure that was lightweight enough to be supported by minimal anchor points yet rigid enough not to sag.
We turned to parametric 3D design. We wrote a script to generate a wave-like form made of 3,000 individual lightweight aluminum fins. Because the design was parametric, we could instantly adjust the density and depth of the fins in the 3D software to optimize the weight. We simulated the lighting fall-off to ensure the watches in the display cases below would sparkle without glare. The 3D model became the manufacturing blueprint, with every fin labeled and numbered for assembly, turning a complex art installation into a paint-by-numbers kit for the contractor.
Client Name
Chronos Global
Client Type
Luxury Retail
Location
Union Square, San Francisco
Project focus
Parametric design and lighting installation
Color Palette
Brushed Aluminum, Cool White Light, Midnight Blue
Services Provided
3D Design, Parametric Modeling, Lighting Analysis
Budget
$200,00
Duration
12 Weeks
Thoughtfully designed spaces for life
Strategic Design Interventions
We use 3D geometry to bridge the gap between architectural vision and manufacturing reality
1
Weight Optimization
We could not risk damaging the historic ceiling. We used 3D mass-calculation tools to shave weight off the design. By creating cut-outs in the hidden parts of the aluminum fins, we reduced the total load by 35% without compromising the visual solidity of the sculpture.
Glare-Free Product Lighting
Lighting watches is difficult because of the glass faces. We ray-traced the light paths in 3D to angle the integrated LEDs perfectly. This ensured the light hit the product without blinding the customer, a detail that increases dwell time and sales.
2
3
Parametric Iteration
The client wanted to see 5 variations of the wave shape. In traditional design, drawing 5 complex sculptures would take weeks. With our parametric 3D setup, we generated 5 distinct options in an hour, allowing the client to choose the perfect form during a single meeting.
