The De Waag Pharmacy in Breda occupies a
ground floor as a typical retail space. The relationship between the interior
of the pharmacy and the exterior, urban space is defined by its facade, which
is made of large, thick steel-framed glazed panels. The dominant role of
transparency suggests an evident relationship with other retail outlets by
Arets, such as the Maastricht fashion shop.A brick pier lies behind the facade
panels. The design of this pier introduces a sense of sliding mobility. In a
text that builds on his studies on architectural transparency, Robert Slutzky
has described the sequence of discovering the interior space of the pharmacy in
this way: “To enter this chemist’s is to submit to a ritualistic promenade,
which culminates in being seated in one of five, webbed-steel chairs —
certainly hygienic if not entirely comfortable — that face a metal service
counter. The seats have their backs turned to the protective barrier of the
glass wall, tenuously isolating them from the impurities of the urban
environment. Those who are seated await the dispensation of curative medication
calibrated and measured on the apothecary’s scale, like architecture, a
balancing beam symmetrically defining the twin conditions of ethos and pathos.”
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