UNStudio has completed the renovation of a façade on the P.C. hooftstraat, an elegant shopping street in amsterdam. the avenue is home to leading international and dutch designers, flagship stores, and boutiques, including ?crystal house?, the Hermès boutique. taking cues from nearby museums for framing dutch art, UNStudio?s design ? titled ?the looking glass? ? sets the stage for a unique and distinctive flagship store by re-imagining the display of clothes.
 
UNStudio?s founder and principal architect ben van berkel spoke at the 2019 world architecture festival in amsterdam. see designboom?s ongoing coverage of the event here.

all images by evabloem
 
 
conceived by UNStudio as a celebration of textiles, the façade comprises three curved glass panels that mimic billowing fabrics. in a fluid gesture, fashion and architecture come together to represent the craftsmanship and geometry of high-end, tailored clothing, creating harmony between aesthetics and function. the design team simultaneously wanted to stay faithful to the original design of an amsterdam town house, where a bespoke apartment will be housed above the retail at ground floor.
 
 
the three structural glass ?box elements? were assembled in a factory before being mounted on site. large laminated annealed low iron glass panels, both curved and straight, are bonded with structural silicone to the adjacent glass panels with stainless steel edge profiles in between, thus forming the glass box. each unit ...