to color the outside of a building,
that is by using hand-glazed iridescent ceramic tiles that change
colour in different lights,
was designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, who devised the subtle yet eye-catching rainbow facade for the multi-faceted mall to be a happy middle ground between the developer KWG Group Holdings's wish for a building that would stand out, and the city government's caveat that it suit its surrounding,
the architects covered each side of the 36-metre high
building in opalescent tiles, some sides are completely covered in the tiles,
with other planes tiled in an interlocking checkerboard pattern that forms a
perforated screen, each ceramic tile was hand-glazed in China, with three layers
applied and fired at different temperatures to create the pearlescent effect, "We designed the KWG M Cube so that the building
continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and
light conditions and where you stand, the facade might look subtly grey, or it
might shine with all the colours of the rainbow," said Jacob van Rijs,
principal architect and co-founder of MVRDV,
the 40,000-square-metre, seven-storey shopping centre is
split into two sections, downstairs, the lower three floors contain mostly
shops and is only open during the day, the upper levels contain bars,
restaurants and cafes, and can be accessed at night via an express lift to the
fourth floor lobby, open air roof terraces in each level provide an outdoor space
for visitors during good weather, with views towards local landmarks including
the Forbidden City, photograph by MVRDV, and I will say it again, what a neat way to give colour to a building.
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