Studio RAP made a 3D-printed ceramic facade for a store in Amsterdam’s P.C. Hooftstraat. The Ceramic House changes the way architecture is expressed by combining tradition and innovation in a way that doesn’t look out of place.
The studio’s unique take on modern architectural design prints each custom 3D-printed ceramic tile using digital fabrication methods that were created in the studio’s own factory space. The silhouette of the original facade has been copied by Studio RAP. This keeps the street’s unique three-part structure and the site’s overall identity.
The ornaments and materials are carefully chosen to match the scale, size, type, and color of the nearby buildings. This makes it possible for traditional and modern architecture to fit together without any problems. Studio RAP gets ideas from the Rijksmuseum, which is the Netherlands’ national museum and is known for its large collection of ceramics from around the world.
They use their own large-scale 3D printing technology to make highly detailed objects that are both unique and created by algorithms. Large 3D-printed clay tiles, about 40×20 cm each, glazed in pearl white with a hint of yellow by Royal Tichelaar cover the front of the building at street level. On the upper floors, the building’s front has 3D-printed bricks that have been painted in three different shades of red.
Project Info
Project Name: Ceramic House
Location: P.C. Hooftstraat, Amsterdam (NL)
Client: Warenar Real Estate
Architect: Studio RAP
Co-Architect: Gietermans & Van Dijk
Contractor facade cladding / 3d-ceramic-printing: Studio RAP
Firing and glazing: Royal Tichelaar
Main contractor: Wessels Zeist (VolkerWessels)
Photographer: Studio RAP / Riccardo De Vecchi
Film: Oculus Film
