British firm David Chipperfield Architects has completed its first project in Canada – the overhaul of a 19th-century building into a minimalist fashion store.The store for Ssense, an e-commerce label that has expanded to its first brick-and-mortar shop in Montreal, spans 13,000 square feet across five storeys.

Chipperfield's firm renovated the interiors of the historic building near the city's Old Port with a greyscale palette of raw concrete, and mirrored and metallic surfaces.In order to preserve the bones of the structure, a concrete shell was inserted behind the timber facade, allowing contemporary and minimalist interiors contrast with the more decorative exterior.

The space houses an in-situ concrete structure — a building-within-a-building — where the concrete architecture is transparently expressed and explicitly exposed while preserving the original historic facade.Along with spaces for displaying clothing and accessories, the building houses a glass-roofed cafe that is decorated with concrete benches and tables, and is equipped to fit 34 people.Two floors are dedicated to fitting rooms and personal shopping appointments.

The store provides a physical counterpart to the online brand, so technology in the space was a priority. Within 24 hours of scheduling an appointment online, products can be delivered and tried on by the customers at the store.Built inside is a vertical lift module VLM for delivering and storing orders, which is traditionally used in warehouses. Wiring is hidden away in the walls, floors and ceilings to keep the surfaces as bare as possible.