This fashion shop for men, designed as an exhibition space, is an architecture set within the structure of Maastricht, a city with roman origins. It is intended as a rather stark intervention, and is to be interpreted in this context as a contrasting idea. The space, governed by light, gives the impression of having been specially designed for what is shown inside. At the first sight the structure appears simple. However, its complexity, richness and poetry that initiate transformation is gradually perceived through contemplation.Constructed mainly out of glass and steel panels encased in concrete walls, the structure immediately comes under the direct surveillance of natural light, though it remains an insertion into an existing building. Natural light and the transparent glass facade are the two basic components that facilitate effective exhibition of fashion.The show window, entrance area, and sales department connect the St Amorsplein with the inner courtyard, while the sales area is vertically linked to the three layers above it by a stairwell. The 1.70 m high wall containing stainless steel display cases, and is interrupted by three changing cubicles, accentuates the horizontal inner courtyard. Constructed of Corten steel, the façade is made open by a window and door that measure 1.7 m and 3.40 m in height respectively. Within the scale and modulation of the historic centre of the city, this shop explores transparency, the direct relationship between the public domain of the street, the interior of the shop itself and the interior courtyard. The logic of perception and play permeates the entire design, its material definition and its relationship to the urban context. A window is – both literally and metaphorically – open at the heart of Maastricht.
View Original