THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
words by SONNY NGO
Imagine the HERMÈS horse galloping from its Parisian stables into the heart of Amsterdam’s Vondelpark. Trees bend, birds take flight, and a transparent façade blossoms into a boundless celebration of craftsmanship and colour. This sense of playfulness radiates through the new collaboration between architectural studio MVRDV and Hermès, who worked together to create a window installation in the P.C. Hooftstraat. When the world of artisanal craftsmanship collaborates with forward-thinking architects, magic happens.
Anchored in this year’s Hermès theme, “Drawn to Craft,” MVRDV created a multi-layered immersive experience that is both technically bold and quietly whimsical. Walking through the store with ASER GIMÉNEZ-ORTEGA, associate director at the architectural studio, we took in the installation from different perspectives.
“We always say that we want to present ourselves as innovative, social and green,” Ortega explains. “Sustainability, boldness and collaboration are very important for us. We try to be adaptive and resilient, and create iconic architecture for a changing world.” Over the years, MVRDV has been responsible for iconic structures around the world, including in the Dutch capital. Viewed from the street, the display stretches across the two-storey glass façade of the Crystal Houses — a building the studio originally completed almost a decade earlier. Taking inspiration from past sketches, Ortega describes how the colourful lines of computational drawings served as a conceptual foundation for the installation. “The way we started to think about this installation was based on these drawings. Traditionally, you print these onto paper, but here we wondered if we could directly 3D-print these colourful layers.”
Partnering with Amsterdam-based manufacturer AECTUAL, Ortega decided to explore this process. Working with bioplastics, recycled plastics and other circular materials, they transformed digital drawings into vibrant physical formats — a process that proved to be both experimental and intentional. “The cool thing is that in the future you can melt the material down and transform it into something different,” he adds.
But of course, innovation breeds challenges as well. As Ortega explains, “You work with many concept rounds and ideas. That is part of the process, but the final materialisation was hard.” This mostly had to do with the weight of the material and the scale of the installation (“The trees are almost seven metres high!”). Still, despite these hurdles, Ortega describes the experience as beautiful; a rare opportunity for the studio to bridge concepts and craft so directly. “As architects we design and supervise, but here it was about building together.”
The harmonious dialogue between Hermès and MVRDV is perhaps most visible in their exploration of layering and transparency. Stretching across the entirety of the display, the fine details are spellbinding: bird sounds echo softly through the rooms, colourful Hermès products are tucked within the blades of grass and the park seems to appear right through the glass. The view is even completed with a 3D-printed bike — “There is always a bike somewhere in Vondelpark,” Ortega laughs. “We weren’t interested in just replicating the park though,” he continues, “the display is really a dialogue between the city, Hermès and MVRDV.”
Temporary as it may be, Ortega sees deep value in installations like these for the city. “I always find the combination between permanent and short-term architecture fascinating because you inspire and provoke on two very different levels. Impermanence allows you to be more daring and fun,” he shares. Hermès’s classic sophistication paired naturally with this type of experimentation. “We like that Hermès is also colourful and creative, it was an easy dialogue.”
Ultimately, the work represented an inspiring collaboration between the worlds of architecture and the art of craftsmanship. As our conversation drew to a close, Ortega looked back on the process with a certain warmth. “I hope to trigger curiosity in passersby,” he reflects. “I like that the installation is subtle and bold at the same time. I want people to see these details and discover the hidden products. The display isn’t something directly in your face, and that requires your participation.”
