Crystal Houses

MVRDV

Amsterdam, PC Hooftstraat 94

2016

Crystal Houses

In the luxury shopping street PC Hooftstraat there has been a remarkable facade for several years. I myself have walked through it several times, but had not yet studied this facade in detail (shame on me). So this building was on the list to take a closer look on our last trip to Amsterdam.

Glass + Brick

Technique

MVRDV collaborated with Poesia to manufacture the glass blocks. They have their company near Venice, known for the glass manufactaries. Research for the techniques was carried out by TU Delft. They came out with a transparent adhesive that hardens with UV light. For a year, 6 to 10 experts worked on the technology for this facade every day. Despite the fragile appearance, the glass beams above the windows are very strong. For example, one of these beams can handle 42kN, which is 4200 kilograms or 4.2 tons.

The facade materials are also fully recyclable. Furthermore, the building is heated with a heat pump, using ground heat. There are pipes that go to a depth of 170 meters.