On Amsterdam’s P.C. Hooftstraat, UNStudio transformed numbers 140-142 into a single retail space defined by The Brick Pixelation, a distinctive facade combining cast stainless steel bricks with glass inlays.
Textured and partially transparent, the facade draws on the crafted detailing associated with couture while reinterpreting the traditional brick architecture of Amsterdam. The metal and glass elements create a changing relationship between transparency, reflection and solidity according to the viewing distance.
The Brick Pixelation facade
P.C. Hooftstraat is one of Amsterdam’s best-known luxury shopping streets, located between the Museum Quarter, Vondelpark and the Oud-Zuid neighbourhood. UNStudio’s renovation brought two separate buildings together to create one retail space behind a unified architectural identity.
The project stands next to The Looking Glass, another facade designed by UNStudio on P.C. Hooftstraat. While the neighbouring intervention explores larger glazed elements, The Brick Pixelation develops its identity through a finer scale of detailing and a closer interpretation of the material qualities of textiles and traditional masonry.
Stainless steel and glass reinterpret traditional brickwork
At pedestrian level, the facade is composed of custom cast stainless steel bricks incorporating glass inlays. Moving upwards, the metal envelope gradually transitions into the anthracite brickwork of the traditional Dutch townhouse on the upper levels.
This transition allows the contemporary intervention to retain a visual relationship with Amsterdam’s architectural heritage. Seen from close range, the individual metal elements and glass inserts reveal their detailing; from further away, they merge into a continuous surface that maintains the scale and rhythm of a brick facade.
According to Ben van Berkel, the design uses steel bricks inlaid with glass to create a contemporary interpretation of the traditional masonry found in Dutch townhouses. The scale of the detailing and the inward-slanting windows distinguish P.C. Hooftstraat 140-142 from the adjacent facade while bringing the composition back to the proportions of the townhouse on the second floor.
From experimentation to bespoke fabrication
The apparent simplicity of the completed facade is the result of extensive experimentation with brick dimensions, transparency and lighting. The stainless steel elements retain proportions comparable to conventional bricks, but tapered and softened edges give them a more refined appearance.
Glass inlays are manually bonded into the cast stainless steel elements. The bricks are produced in different sizes and arranged according to a pattern that relates to the traditional masonry of the upper floors.
Individual elements are precisely mounted onto larger steel frames before being installed on site. Behind this external layer, operable glass windows provide access for cleaning and maintenance, integrating the decorative expression of the facade with its technical requirements.
Bespoke details integrated into the architecture
The same material system extends to the residential entrance. Here, stainless steel bricks are combined with opaque glass inlays to provide privacy, while the stainless steel door handle and doorbell are custom designed to integrate into the overall composition.
The white steel window frames continue towards the interior. Inclined glass panels emphasise their geometry and introduce a sense of depth and movement, an architectural detail repeated in the smaller windows on the first floor.
Through this combination of stainless steel, bespoke glass elements and traditional brickwork, UNStudio transforms the retail facade into an interface between contemporary fabrication and the architectural character of P.C. Hooftstraat.
Project details
Project: P.C. Hooftstraat 140-142 – The Brick Pixelation
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Design: UNStudio
UNStudio team: Ben van Berkel, Astrid Piber with Ger Gijzen, Marc Salemink, Sontaya Bluangtook, Pauline Caubel, Daniele de Benedictis, Chao Liu, Yang Li
Executive Architect: Architectenburo Dik Smeding BV
Facade Engineer: ARUP
Main Contractor: Jan Vet b.v.
Photo credit: Eva Bloem
UNStudio
UNStudio is an international architecture and design practice founded in 1988 by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos. The studio works across architecture, interior architecture, product design, urban development and infrastructure.