la samaritaine overlooks the seine river
image © jean pierre muller - getty images

international luxury goods maker LVMH - moet hennessy louis vuitton have chosen
the pritzker prize winning japanese architecture firm SANAA to convert the former
parisian department store la samaritaine.

the plans for the development, which also includes commercial space, offices and social
housing, will be presented at the end of the year.

the iconic store which occupies a prime site overlooking the seine river in central paris
was acquired by the company in 2001 and closed in 2005 due to it being a fire hazard,
(police found it had antiquated electrical circuits, malfunctioning smoke extraction systems
and inflammable wooden flooring).

LVMH who won approval last year to convert the 141 year old building into a hotel, will
invest 400 million euros in la samaritaine, due to open in 2013.


the main building -  each floor had six or seven levels, negotiated by short slopes or steps
image courtesy travelwithterry