Crystal House for Chanel in Amsterdam by MVRDV

The Amsterdam street P.C. Hooftstraat, named after the 17th-century writer Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, ranks among the most expensive shopping districts in the Netherlands. To succeed amidst a flood of luxury brands, you must offer something extra to increasingly extravagant customers. In a duplex at number 94-96, the fashion brand Chanel has opted for a radical reconstruction, replacing the lower part of the facade made of brick with glass blocks. Instead of mortar, the blocks are bonded with a transparent adhesive hardened using ultraviolet radiation. The development of the blocks and bonding technology involved Venetian glassworks and the technical university in Delft.
According to the authors, the project “of the crystal house combines Dutch building tradition with contemporary international architecture”. An imitation of the local historical facade for a global retailer. The glass blocks help open the ground floor without requiring architects to resort to large display windows. Moving upward, glass is replaced by classic blocks, making the facade opaque again. The commercial space on the lower four floors (620 m²) is complemented by residential units on the top two floors (220 m²). The cornice and rooftop extension are an exact historical replica of surrounding patterns.