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In recent
years, architects and designers have explored the meaning
and function of the building façade. Some have transformed
facades into communication devices. Others have made the
façade into a self-transforming building system that
responds to changing occupancies or outdoor conditions.
Antwerp's Designcenter De Winkelhaak is
a unique example. Created by architects Coby Manders and
Philip Pitillion, the center performs two functions:
Promoting new Belgian designers and their work with 18
studios and an exhibition space. And providing a needed
cultural/economic stimulus to the surrounding neighborhood.
Manders and Pittillion summarize this dual role by calling De Winkelhaak
"a generator of activity and creativity."
To accomplish this, they created a building that
communicates naturally with its surroundings - a transparent
cube that makes it so "you do not have to enter the building
to see what's going on inside." An intriguing system of
automated folding aluminum screens by Hunter Douglas
provides solar control and animates the facade. The design
is meant to attract interest and help it gain acceptance
from local inhabitants - by no means an easy
task... More > |
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