Dutch architecture firm MVRDV's color-changing building in Beijing is a shopping center. The cube-shaped structure enjoys a modern design that dynamically interacts with its environment. The designers diverged from traditional mall architecture — blinding fluorescent lights and LEDs, and embraced a more artistic approach. The color-changing building's properties are created thanks to the hand-glazed ceramic tiles that add an iridescent effect. The pieces are three-layered, with each "applied and fired at different temperatures."
MVRDV's facade presents an interlocking checkerboard pattern that adds a noticeable contrast between elements within the composition. The color-changing building's tiles respond to differences in light and angles, ultimately creating a dynamic exterior that satisfies both the developer — KWG Group Holdings, and the city's government who wanted the structure to "suit its surroundings."
Iridescent Color-Changing Building Facades
The Secret Behind MVRDV Shopping Center is the Tiles
Trend Themes
1. Iridescent Facades - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing new materials and technology to create color-changing building facades that dynamically interact with the environment.
2. Artistic Mall Architecture - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Rethinking traditional mall design by embracing a more artistic approach that enhances the visual appeal and ambiance of the shopping experience.
3. Interlocking Checkerboard Patterns - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Exploring new patterns and designs for building facades that create a noticeable contrast and add a unique visual element to architectural compositions.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture and Construction - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborating with material scientists and engineers to develop innovative building materials and techniques that enable the creation of iridescent and interactive facades.
2. Retail and Shopping Centers - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating artistic elements into mall architecture to enhance the overall design aesthetic and offer customers a more visually engaging and immersive shopping experience.
3. Ceramic Manufacturing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Researching and developing advanced ceramic glazing and firing techniques to produce three-layered tiles with a color-changing and iridescent effect.