
Tiffany Façade Cancún
Inspired by local coral species and 3D-printed, the façade of Tiffany & Co.’s store on the Mexican coast in Cancún is the second in a family of designs produced by MVRDV for Tiffany, sharing many features with the 3D-printed façade of the store in Singapore Changi Airport that opened in 2023. In this second iteration, the techniques developed in Singapore are further refined, with structural innovations that enable a locally inspired twist on the theme.
- Location
- Cancún, Mexico
- Status
- Realised
- Year
- 2024
- Client
- Tiffany & Co.
- Programmes
- Retail
The store is located in La Isla Shopping Village, an open-air shopping centre in Cancún’s Hotel Zone. The store’s proximity to the beach was a clear inspiration for the store’s interior designer Balmaceda, who incorporated some local materials and crafts along with marine motifs to create an elegant interpretation of the rustic Caribbean aesthetic. MVRDV’s design team took this as a starting point, creating a naturalistic façade to complement the interior.
Cancún is located alongside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef – the world’s second-largest barrier reef system – so the design team took inspiration from the branching, mesh-like forms of corals in the genus Gorgonia, commonly known as sea fans, which are native to the Caribbean. The coral pattern is 3D printed with a beach-inspired colour gradient that changes both across the length of the façade and through the façade’s 75-millimetre depth, transitioning from Tiffany’s signature blue to a light sandy colour that recalls Cancún’s beaches.
The store’s three smaller display windows are designed without rigid frames, so that the branches of the coral pattern encroach into the window edges and can be seen from inside the store. The lack of frames – which in other areas of the design provide crucial structural support – presented a significant challenge. This was solved with discreet 3D printed supports that brace the façade against the glass behind, blending in with the coral branches in front to be almost invisible.
Like the Singapore design, the façade is 3D printed, in partnership with 3D printing experts Aectual and engineering firm BUROMILAN. In this iteration, the design is further enhanced by the elimination of mechanical fixings to hold the 3D-printed panels together. Instead, the edges of the panels are shaped to interlock with each other and held in place with glue.
Like its sibling in Singapore, the façade of Tiffany’s store in Cancún takes inspiration from the nearby ocean while reflecting Tiffany’s brand identity through innovative material use.
Gallery







Credits
- Architect
- Founding partner in charge
- Partner
- Design team
- MVRDV NEXT
- Partners
- Contractor:
- ORIX - AP
- 3D-printing:
- Aectual
- Lighting designer:
- Cooley Monato Studio
- Engineering advisor:
- BUROMILAN - Milan Ingegneria S.p.A.
- Photography:
- Tiffany & Co.