Emojis tend to elicit fairly strong reactions from people. Many people love to use the small ideograms while texting and emailing like modern day hieroglyphics. Others experience a visceral hatred any time they see one of the little buggers.
This dichotomy is best exemplified via a teaser trailer for The Emoji Movie. On one hand, the movie studio felt secure enough in the general public’s love of emojis to invest money in a feature film. But on the other hand, the trailer has received over 78,000 dislikes (compared to just 8,000 likes) on YouTube since its release.
Regardless of what the prevailing opinion of the general public may be, one architecture firm decided to take emojis out of the digital world and incorporate 22 of them into the design of one of its building’s façades.
Photo courtesy Bart van Hoek, Attika Architekten.
The red brick structure, which resides in the Dutch city of Amersfoort, has horizontal bands of white concrete acting as floor demarcations. At each intersection where the brick and the concrete meet a small decorative circle is stamped in the concrete. On the side of the building that faces the town square, these concrete circles become emojis.
The building is a mix of ground floor retail and residential units and is part of the second phase of a larger mixed-use development. The second phase creates a more fully-fledged mall and adds more shops, restaurants, and apartments to connect to the shopping center that already exists.
Photo courtesy Bart van Hoek, Attika Architekten.
A 150-year-old oak tree acts as the development’s centerpiece and gives it its name: “Plein Rond De Eik,” which translates to Place Around the Oak. A car-free town square helps to keep the public space as pedestrian friendly as possible. A 21,500-sf grocery store, a library, and a school are included in the development.
While the emojis may cause some passersby to groan and shake their heads, the emojis will also act as a visual timestamp; the architects hope the feature will be a unique reminder of the time period the structure was built in.
For more images and information, click here.
Image courtesy Bart van Hoek, Attika Architekten.
Related Stories
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 24, 2012
2012 Reconstruction Awards Entry Form
Download a PDF of the Entry Form at the bottom of this page.
| May 23, 2012
Summit Design+Build selected as GC for Chicago restaurant
Little Goat will truly be a multifunctional space. Construction plans include stripping the 10,000 sq. ft. building down to the bare structure everywhere, the installation of a new custom elevator and adding square footage at the second floor with an addition.
| Apr 30, 2012
HSA Commercial selected as consultant for Orland Park’s Main Street Triangle project
HSA will be responsible for designing an overall mixed-use merchandise plan, attracting a unique retail tenant mix and completing leases with prospective tenants.
| Apr 20, 2012
Shawmut completes Yard House Restaurant in Boston
12,000-sf restaurant marks new addition to Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.
| Apr 6, 2012
Batson-Cook breaks ground on hotel adjacent to Infantry Museum & Fort Benning
The four-story, 65,000-ft property will feature 102 hotel rooms, including 14 studio suites.
| Apr 4, 2012
JCJ Architecture designs New York City's first casino
Aqueduct Racetrack complex transformed into modern entertainment destination.
| Apr 3, 2012
Luxury hotel 'groundscraper' planned in abandoned quarry
Would you spend $300 a night to sleep underground? You might, once you see the designs for China's latest hotel project.
| Mar 16, 2012
Temporary fix to CityCenter's Harmon would cost $2 million, contractor says
By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.
| Jan 15, 2012
Smith Consulting Architects designs Flower Hill Promenade expansion in Del Mar, Calif.
The $22 million expansion includes a 75,000-square-foot, two-story retail/office building and a 397-car parking structure, along with parking and circulation improvements and new landscaping throughout.
